Heart of Gold
by LoveInChains
Summary: Few people can say they've met her twice for she never stays in one place for long. She was born in the Greenwood Forest with red hair that reflects the fire within her skin. And, against Thorin Oakenshield's wishes, she has joined the company on their quest to the Lonely Mountain. Perhaps through time, and an iron will, she can prove to Thorin that she's worth having on his side.
1. Chapter One

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter One**

* * *

It was dark, cold, and quiet in the mountains. A pasture full of ponies and a Cliffside full of dwarves sat peacefully as they enjoyed the closest thing they had to supper. Near the pasture stood two of the younger dwarves, Fili and Kili, a look of disbelief on their faces as their eyes grazed over each and every pony. From out of the brush emerged Bilbo Baggins, their hobbit and burglar, with two bowls of stew in tow. He stood in between them, offering them their supper. From what he had gathered about dwarves, they never passed up the chance to stuff their gob and he was slightly worried as to why these two weren't jumping at the offering.

"What's the matter?" The hobbit asked the two young dwarves.

"We're supposed to be watching over the ponies."

"Only we've encountered a slight problem."

"We had 16…"

"Now there's 14." They responded.

The three assessed their situation, weaving around the ponies to see which were gone, "Daisy and Bungle are missing." Kili informed his brother and the hobbit.

"Well that's," Bilbo let out a sound of slight panic, "That's not good. And that is not good, at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" He asked with the two bowls of stew still in his hands.

Fili turned, "Ehh, no, let's not worry him." He said, stepping over an upturned root from the several uprooted trees around them, "As our official burglar, we thought, you might like to look into it." He directed at the hobbit. His eyes soon returning to scanning the area.

To say that Bilbo didn't look comfortable with that was an understatement, "Well, uh," He paused, "looks as if something big uprooted these trees."

"That was our thinking." Kili said.

"And something very big… and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo concluded, but Fili's attention was elsewhere.

"Hey…" He crouched down, "There's a light." He whispered, "Over here." He beckoned his younger brother. And, truth be told, there was. The light of a fire off behind a cluster of rocks. It was a safe bet that their ponies were probably there.

The three made their way to hide behind a fallen, or uprooted, tree, "Stay down." Kili warned. The hobbit balanced the two bowls on the wood. Several grunting noises and cackling could be heard from where they were. It didn't sound human, that much was for certain.

Lacking the experience of the world outside of the Shire, while Fili and Kili knew of what they were dealing with, Bilbo did not, "What is it?" He asked.

"Trolls." Was Kili's response before the two dwarves attempted to get closer. Bilbo made his way to follow but doubled back to grab the bowls. As he caught up to the brothers, they noticed the ground shaking. Fili and Kili hid behind the trunk of one tree, Bilbo, another, when a troll carrying two more of their ponies smashed through the trees towards the light.

Bilbo looked more upset upon the fact that the ponies were being taken and not that he was faced with trolls, "He's got Myrtle and Minty." He sighed, "I think they're going to eat them we have to do something!" He whispered to the brothers. They looked up at him with relief.

"Yes, you should!" Kili whispered as his brother nodded his head and he and Bilbo switched places, "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you." He said, completely ignoring the sounds of protest coming from the hobbit, "It's perfectly safe, we'll be right behind you." He promised.

Fili made to take the bowls from Bilbo, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, and once like a brown owl." He said with a shove.

"Hoot twice like a barn owl, no, twice like a brown owl and once like a barn owl, are you sure this is a good idea?" The hobbit asked, turning around to find that the dwarves had abandoned him. He was about to make a frustrated sound when he remembered that there was a troll not far behind him.

"Mutton yest'rday, mutton today! And blimey, if it don' look like mutton again t'morrow!" A troll from beyond the hobbit's field of view complained. Bilbo exhaled, prepping himself for what was to come.

"Quit yer grippin'! These ain't sheep, these is West Nads!" Said the one carrying Myrtle and Minty.

Another troll started to whine, "Ohhh! I don' like horse. I never 'ave. Not enough fat on 'em." He explained.

Near the mouth of the opening to their little hole, Bilbo was crouched in the bushes, not quite sure what to do. He'd never faced trolls before, never thought he would either. That's when he noticed something odd. Out of all of the things that the trolls seemed to have around them, nothing had any colour to it. All mud and rock. Save for something the colour of flames off towards the ponies. Something the colour of the flames and wriggling like a worm. He realized that it wasn't something of theirs, it was a girl. A girl with fiery red hair and piercing aquamarine eyes, bond tight with rope and mouth silenced by vine.

He immediately scrambled to his feet and hid behind a tree just as one of the trolls admitted to eating the farmer who owned the ramshackle hut a little ways down the mountainside. Then another troll sneezed into the pot of soup they had boiling over their fire. Bilbo quickly tuned them out, not wanting to hear any more of what they had to say, he had a stomach full of soup and did not wish to lose it. He continued along the tree line, careful to keep out of their eyesight, not that they really cared enough to look. Guess they never imagined that a hobbit would try to sneak past them. Half-wits.

Bilbo finally managed to get to the girl, a look of disbelief and distrust crossed her eyes as he approached her, "I'm going to get you out of here." He mouthed, "Don't speak." She nodded and he removed the vine from her mouth, "I'm Bilbo Baggins." He whispered.

"Azalea." She whispered back, "What are you doing? You're going to get eaten!" She hissed.

'_That is a very good possibility_.' Bilbo thought to himself, "I need to free the ponies." He said, motioning to the neighing creatures behind them.

Azalea gave the hobbit a sarcastic look, "Yeah, four ponies are worth your life?" She whispered, "Go, hobbit, we don't both need to die today." She tried to reason with him. No such luck, he tried to free her bonds but they proved to be too tight for him to undo. He looked around for something to cut her free with, his eyes settled on the curved blade holstered onto one of the troll's waist, "Don't be a fool!" The girl hissed at Bilbo as he quietly made his way over to the trio of trolls. Being unable to dissuade the hobbit from his suicide mission, she threw herself into a sitting position and frantically looked around for something to cut her ropes with, "Damn hobbit, going to get us both killed!" She continued to hiss as she found a sharp rock a bit behind her.

She started to rub her bonds against the rock when one of the trolls smacked the other, nearly squashing poor Bilbo, causing her to increase her efforts. If she was going to die trying she wasn't going to let the hobbit die. He just getting close to the knife when her ropes started to give way, she thought he had been compromised when the troll stood to give his bum a good scratch. While he was in the clear then, when the troll sat back down he grabbed behind him to get his handkerchief but ended up grabbing Bilbo as well, blowing his nose into the poor thing. Azalea gagged. She then managed to cut through a few of the ropes and tried her best to get herself untied.

The troll screamed, "Lookat what's come outta me hootah!" He exclaimed to the others, "It's got arms an' legs an' everyfing!"

"Wha' is it?" Another one asked.

Azalea finally managed to get free, she looked around for something she could use as a weapon, the trolls had used her sword as a toothpick and snapped it in the process. Her eyes settled back on the rock she had used to cut her bonds. She tossed it a couple of times in her hand and remained out of sight, waiting for the right time to strike.

The troll that claimed sir Bilbo came out of his "hooter" tossed him to the ground. Then the one that had stolen the ponies pointed something close to a troll sized knife at him, "Wha' are you then? An oversized squirrel?" He asked.

"I'm a burglar." He started, then corrected himself, "Err, hobbit!" Azalea raked a hand down her face. Bilbo wasn't making this easier for her.

"A burglarrobbit?" The troll that had tossed him exclaimed.

"Can we cook 'im?" The one holding the knife asked the "chef" of their trio.

The snot blowing one smirked, "We can try!" He said as he made a grab for the hobbit, "We'll cook 'im with the girl 'obbit!" Azalea bit back a growl as she began to circle around the trolls, trying to find an opening in the likely case that they're going to finally catch him.

"He wouldn' make more than a moufful, not when he's skinn'd and bon'd!" The chef said, knocking Bilbo back with his ladle.

Bilbo ran away from the chef only to be faced with the knife wielding troll, "Wonder iff there's more burglarrobbit's 'round these parts, might be enough fer a pie!" He said with a swing of his knife. The hobbit quickly ran around the fire, towards the ponies and Azalea, she quickly retreated behind a tree.

"It's too quick!" The snot blowing one complained, Azalea figured they'd never chased a hobbit before. The trolls kept hitting each other, trying to hit Bilbo. Eventually, the troll that had stolen the ponies and had swung the knife at Bilbo had managed to grab him.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed, dangling the poor man upside down by his foot.

Azalea jumped into action with her trusty rock. She let out a whistle, "Oi! Ugly!" She yelled. All three of the trolls turned to look at her. She aimed the rock right for the face of the troll holding Bilbo and let it soar. Her aim was dead on and forced him to drop the hobbit.

"Owwwww! The girl 'obbit got me righ' in the eye!" The troll exclaimed, holding his eye. Azalea watched as Bilbo headed for the trees behind him, "William! Who taught you 'ow to tie knots? Ya let the 'obbit get away!" He boomed, knocking said troll on the back of the head. The troll then grabbed for Azalea, and she let him take her. Anything to get the attention off Bilbo. The troll dangled her by her wrist, "I think I'll eat this one ra_awww_." He growled menacingly, smacking his lips as he raised her higher.

That's when someone rolled out of the bushes with his sword brandished; he slashed at the nearest troll's, William's, heel, then at its foot when it started to fall backwards. He looked momentarily stunned when he saw a girl dangling from the troll's hand and not Bilbo. He shook his head, "Drop her!" He yelled. Azalea, admittedly, was stunned as well. She thought the hobbit had been travelling alone. The man looked to be of dwarfish decent, by stature, but didn't have the girth or the beard of any dwarf she'd ever known.

"You wha'?" The troll holding Azalea asked.

The man gave his sword a flourish, "I said, drop her!" He commanded, his knuckles blanching around the hilt of his weapon.

Azalea took full advantage of the troll's distraction to grab onto his hand, yank herself up and to sink her teeth into his thumb. The troll shrieked and flung her at the man. She yelped when she connected with his torso. They both fell to the ground. Once she had gotten her bearings, she propped herself on her elbow and offered her hand, "Azalea, of the Greenwood Forest." She said, only slightly winded.

He looked confused, but he took her hand and shook it, "Kili, a son of Durin." He said, a bit more than slightly winded.

"It's a pleasure." She said then spied a small blade at his side, "You using that?" She asked, when he didn't respond she took that as a no, "Thanks!" She grabbed the hilt and was about ready to stand and charge when a small battalion of dwarves emerged from the brush, their weapons raised and each yelling their own individual battle cry. Kili yanked her back down until the way was clear, "Thanks again!" She said before running into the heat of the battle, slicing and dicing at every sighting of grey flesh. It took Kili a minute to compose himself.

Fili burst through the clearing, groaning when he saw his brother on the ground, "Get off yer arse!" He exclaimed, yanking the poor boy to standing and they both entered the fold.

Every now and then, Kili's eyes would find Azalea, she was clearly skilled with a sword, but, she being a woman, he was still unsure of how the events would pan out. She was very light on her feet, slashing at the troll's calves then rolling underneath them to stab through their toes. Kili couldn't help but smirk at the sight. He'd never known a woman to have such skills in battle. While he was momentarily distracted, one of the trolls came barreling at him. He threw his weight towards the ground and slid to the other side of the troll and shoved his sword into the beast's side. He let out a laugh, the trolls were no match for them.

The dwarves, and Azalea, were winning. The trolls, being what size they were and having little to no intelligence, were outnumbered and outmatched. If it weren't for Bilbo setting the ponies free they probably could have easily defeated them. But, the hobbit was caught. Two of the trolls held an arm and leg in their hands. Bilbo was their hostage. Azalea raked her hand down her face again, "Should've let them eat him in the first place." She muttered to herself.

"Bilbo!" Kili exclaimed, making his way to save the hobbit. His uncle Thorin forced him back. In the matter of seconds, the battle had turned into a hostage situation.

"Lay down your arms!" The troll on the left commanded, none of the dwarves looked ready to comply, "Or we'll rip his off!"

Still, the dwarves looked hesitant. When Thorin finally staked his sword into the ground did the others follow suit. Even Azalea tossed in Kili's blade. One by one, swords, axes, and mallets found their way into the pile. Azalea turned to look at Kili's face and the sword still clutched in his hand. She motioned to the ground with her eyes. He returned her gaze and eventually dropped his blade. Only when Ori, still holding onto his slingshot for dear life, threw his weapon to the ground did the trolls advance on them, sadistic, hungry smiles gracing their ugly faces.

"Figured as much." Azalea muttered as she was shoved into a potato sack.


	2. Chapter Two

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

After watching the trolls lug away their bowling pot of stew, the dwarves, Bilbo, and Azalea, were all thrown against a rock as they brought out their version of a spit. Kili was stuck in between the girl and Óin, allowing him a chance to finally look at her. She was quite beautiful, her eyes were an odd aquamarine in the shape of almonds, her nose bore resemblance to someone of royalty, her cheeks were high and flushed pink, her lips were plush, and her hair rivaled the brilliance of the sun. The young dwarf found it hard to look away. Down to his left he heard his brother cackling with a mischievous look to his eye. Kili resisted the urge to kick him.

He looked back to Azalea and finally noticed her ears, they were pointed, like a hobbit's or an elves, but she was too tall to be a hobbit and too small to be an elf. It made him very curious to say the least. He was about to ask her from whence she hailed but his attention was stolen by the cries of his comrades as several of them were tied to the spit. Kili fidgeted within his sack, hating the feeling of being helpless.

Azalea's eyes grazed over Kili, "I'm sure they'll be fine." She whispered to him.

He didn't mean to, but he glared at her, "What would you know? You're just as helpless as the rest of us!" He hissed.

She shrugged her shoulders, "That is true."

Azalea remained silent after that, figuring that the dwarf next to her wasn't in the mood to talk. Instead, she listened to the mumblings of the three trolls, Bert, Tom, and William. They were discussing on which way to cook the dwarves best.

"Don' bother cookin' 'em," Tom started, "Le's just sit on 'em and squash them into jelly!" He said with enthusiasm.

Apparently Bert had issues with that, "They should be salted, an' grilled, with a sprinkle of sage." He said, ignoring the protests of their soon be supper.

"Oh! Tha' does soun' quite nice!" Tom agreed.

"Never min' the seasoning!" Roared William, "We ain't got all nigh'!"

Whatever else he said was lost to Azalea, who had remembered that she had accosted a couple of knives from Kili when she was thrown at him. She fidgeted around a bit, putting her knee in Kili's side, making him very agitated, "Get your knee out of me!"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't get your bloomers in a bunch!" She countered, finally reaching her ankle and pulling out one of the knives.

Meanwhile, Bilbo had heard the trolls mention that they don't wish to be turned to stone, remembering the tales he had been told of the effect on sunlight on the brutes. A plan was formed. He was going to play for time.

"Wait!" He exclaimed, "You are making a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" Dori yelled from his position on the spit.

"Oi, what does that make us?!" Bolfur yelled back.

Azalea didn't know them what Bilbo was planning, but her sensitive hears perked up when he spoke. He didn't seem like the warrior type so she assumed the dwarves had him in their company for his brain.

"I meant, uh, with the seasoning." Bilbo explained as he managed to stand.

Bert crouched down to get closer to the hobbit, "What about the seasoning?" He asked.

"Well, have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." He said, motioning to the dwarves at his feet.

"I take offense to that!" Azalea cried as the others voiced their accusations of treason at the small man, "I bathed at the last full moon!" She exclaimed

It didn't seem like William was buying Bilbo's advice, "What do you know 'bout cookin' dwarf?" He asked, never stopping the rotation of the rotisserie; sarcasm clear in his overly gruff voice.

While William was more skeptical, Bert was falling right into the hobbit's trap, "Shut up!" He said, "Le' the, er, furgga burglarrobbit talk!"

Bilbo cracked an uneasy smile, "I, uh, the, the secret to cooking dwarf is… is um…"

"Yes?" Bert asked. When Bilbo didn't respond he said, "Come on!"

"It's uh…" He started.

Bert interrupted him, "Tell us the secret!"

"I'm _tell_ing you the secret." The hobbit said through clenched teeth, "The secret is… _toooo_ skin them first!" He managed to say. There wasn't a dwarf without a complaint. Azalea said nothing as she had caught onto what he was doing and the fact that Bilbo said nothing about her.

"Tom!" Bert said, "Get me fillets and knife."

With that said, Azalea began working at her side with the knife, careful to avoid Kili and remain unnoticed by the trolls, "Wha' a load of wubbish!" William yelled, "I've eaten plen'y wiff their skins on, scawf 'em down, boots an' awl!" He continued just as Azalea swore she saw a cloaked old man dart past behind the rocks. And old man who looked quite familiar. A devious smile played at her lips.

But when Tom reached for Bombur, her smile wavered, when he was dangling above his mouth, her smile ceased, "Nice an' crunchy!"

"N-not that one! He-he-he's infected!" Bilbo exclaimed.

"You wha'?" William asked, clearly confused.

His spontaneous planned worked, "Yeah, he's got worms in his… tubes?" He half asked, not quite sure what he was talking about. Azalea let out a laugh, earning herself a look from Kili. Then Tom made a sound of disgust and dropped Bombur onto him, Azalea laughed some more, "I-in fact they all have- they're all infested with parasites it's a terrible business, I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't." Bilbo continued, starting to seem a little confident in himself, ignoring the complaints of the dwarves.

"We don't have parasites!" Kili protested, "You have parasites!"

The company continued to complain as their leader, Thorin, began piecing together Bilbo's madness. He gave his nephew a swift kick, alerting the rest of them that they shouldn't be making such a fuss.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Óin said hesitantly.

"I've got the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!" Kili said, really selling it. Suddenly, the half-dozen complaining dwarves were spewing all sorts of things about how badly infested they were. Azalea took that chance to cut herself free. She remained underneath the bag though, so as not to arouse suspicion.

William finally stopped turning the rotisserie and approached Bilbo, "Wha' would you 'ave us do then? Le' 'em all go?!" He said in frustration.

"Well…" Was the hobbit's response.

"Ya think I don' know wha' you're up to?" William asked, giving the small man a brisk shove, "This li'l ferret is taking us for fools!" He informed his fellow trolls.

"Ferret?!" Bilbo shrieked, much in the fashion of an actual ferret.

"Fools!" William reiterated.

Then, a voice thundered across the troll's pit, "_The dawn will take you all_!" It cried. And upon a rock near the soon to be rising sun, a familiar face graced the dwarves and Azalea. Gandalf the Grey.

"Whozzat?" William asked.

"No idea." Said Bert.

"Can we eat 'im too?" Finished Tom.

Gandalf raised his staff high, and slammed it down against the rock, forcing it to break and forcing the three trolls to be faced with their downfall. Sunlight. The company watched in awe as their captors slowly turned to stone. Eventually, they stopped moving, settling as three statues around the fire. At first, the dwarves weren't sure of what had happened, eventually shouting for joy at the realization that they had been spared.

"Ohhh! Get your foot out of my back!" Yelled Dwalin.

Beside Kili, Azalea smiled, "Told you we'd be alright." She said with a wink as she stood, clearly free of the sack in which she was contained.

Kili looked up at her, surprise evident on his face, "How'd you get free?" He asked.

She chuckled, tossing the knife in her hand into the air before catching it, "The troll's weren't smart enough to check my ankles." She explained. She was about the help free the dwarves when a tap to her shoulder distracted her. Upon turning she was greeted by a tall, but kind, Gandalf. She wrapped her small arms around his waist, "Gandalf, you old coot, I thought that was you!" She laughed into his cloak.

"You were the last person I was expecting to see on this voyage, young Azalea." He laughed as well, his arms finding their way around her small body, "How did you get caught up in this mess?" He asked, looking at the sacks of dwarves.

Azalea broke away and smiled, "Well, your hobbit saved me from getting eaten by the filthy lot." She explained, motioning to the statues.

The look on Gandalf's face was pure disbelief, "A troll managed to catch you? Are you not the quietest and fastest hobbit there is?" He asked rhetorically. Of course he knew that she was the fastest.

She sighed, "I'm assuming it was an accident that I was caught. I tried to predict their movements, but they're so sluggish and stupid I don't think _they_ even knew their next step. I was sneaking around them when I one of them went to grab their grog. Next thing I knew, I was tied up to the fence."

"You're getting rusty, my old friend." Gandalf laughed

Azalea shrugged, "That may be." She opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted.

"That's fine an' all, this reunion, but would you mind setting us free?" Kili asked from his moderately enraged state at their feet. Azalea laughed, but knelt down to free the dwarf that had come to her rescue, "Thank you!" He said in an exasperated tone, shoving the sack off of himself and tending to the others.

Eventually, they were all free. And they were all on edge. They didn't know Azalea, nor did she know them. Once they had gathered up their weapons they returned to their camp, tired and weary. Along the way, Gandalf and Azalea talked with youthful excitement at seeing each other again, proving to be a great annoyance to Thorin, who wanted to know about the girl, right then and there.

Thorin approached Gandalf, "Where did you go to, if I may ask?" He asked the old wizard.

"To look ahead." He explained.

"What brought you back?" The dwarf continued.

The old man cracked a smile that reached his eyes, "Looking behind. Nasty business." He said meaning the trolls, "Still, all in one piece."

"No thanks to your burglar." Thorin countered.

Gandalf gave the dwarf a tired look, but it was Azalea who responded, "He had the brain and courage to play for time." She said as she approached the two, "None of the rest of you thought of that."

Thorin glowered at her, "Who asked you, stranger?"

"Just stating the facts for anyone who wishes to hear it, Thorin, son of Thrain." She said, taking her spot next to Gandalf, "You'd be dead without Mr. Baggins, as would I. I usually find great use in a man such as him."

His look didn't grow any kinder, "And just who are you, to speak to me as such?"

She bowed slightly, "I'm sorry, your majesty, but even I believe a king should appreciate the actions of others." She straightened herself, "I am Azalea. I was born in the Greenwood Forest and have no permanent home. I'm an elven hobbit by birth and a sword-for-hire by profession." She paused when Thorin interrupted her.

"You're what?" He near well snarled.

"An elven hobbit." She sighed, "It's why I'm the size of a female dwarf but bear no resemblance to one." She reasoned, "I assure you, son of Thrain, I find no more comfort in the fact that I am of elven blood than you do."

Sensing the situation going sour, Gandalf piped in, "She's the first burglar we tried to find, Thorin. Being of both elven and hobbit descent makes her even more agile than the average Halfling."

"Yes, I'm just a _bit_ faster than them." Azalea chuckled to herself.

"Now, now, we mustn't boast." The old man laughed. Azalea mumbled her apologies, suddenly finding her bare feet mighty interesting.

Thorin didn't look so keen on the idea, "Are you saying that she should join the company?" He asked the wizard.

"If you'll have her and if she wishes to stay." Gandalf said.

The dwarf king suppressed a sigh, "If you believe that she's trustworthy and that she'll be of more use than hindrance on our journey." He said, "I already have a near useless hobbit, I haven't need of another." He growled.

Azalea bowed at the waist one more time, "Thank you, I shall not disappoint." She said, excusing herself from the conversation.

She walked towards the rest of the company, observing as they packed their things and stuffed their faces with mutton, bread, and ale. Never had she been in an alliance with dwarves. Usually Azalea found comfort in the wildlife around her, only approaching others when she turned desperate. She had only felt at home when her mother still took breath, in the Shire, more than 150 years ago. With her mother's passing passed the tolerance of the other hobbits upon her. She was, in a word, different. That frightened most. So, when she matured, she set off to the place where she was born.

In the Greenwood Forest, Azalea met her fellow wood elves, finding a warm welcome with them, but an icy hearth in their home. Knowing that she didn't belong there either, she ventured deep into the forest, where she met a squirrel of a wizard, Radagast. He was brilliant, in his own odd way, and always offered her a place to stay should she need it. She was thankful to him but never stayed long. She chose a nomadic life, often pretending to be a dwarf, doing menial labour where it would find her, barely getting by. She preferred barely getting by surrounded by thankful people than living a fat life surrounded by people who treated her with trepidation and fear.

She smiled to herself and took up post on a tall rock. A place she found much comfort in. She held her skills of detection with much pride, favouring scouting jobs over any other. Below her, a young dwarf approached the rock, a bowl in his hand and a sour expression upon his face as he looked up at her. She smiled towards him, sliding down the rock until they were only a foot apart, "Hello, may I help you?"

Wordlessly, the dwarf shoved the bowl of stew up at her, sloshing it only slightly.

'_How kind._' Azalea thought sincerely, reaching for the bowl, "Thank you, good sir." She said, taking it from him.

Free from his task, he ran back to the rest of the company. Azalea smiled sadly, knowing that dwarves would not be much kinder to her than the elves. She mindlessly stirred her stew when a presence next to her diverted her attention. It was a different dwarf, a little bit older than the first, perhaps even a little older than Kili. He was the only blonde member of the company, Azalea remembered that.

"What're you doing all alone?" He asked, a playful smile on his face, "Ye of elven blood be too good for us mountain folk?"

The elven hobbit wasn't too sure on how to respond to that, "Uh… I… I didn't want to…" She stammered. When it came to putting others in their place, there was none fiercer than Azalea, but this playfulness was not something she was used to.

He held of a gloved hand, silencing her, "Say no more." He took the bowl from her and placed it farther down to rock. He then jumped to the ground and held his arms open, signaling her to jump. It wasn't a far jump, no more than the man's height. She blinked in confusion, unsure of how she should go about this. He clapped, "Come on, I won't bite!"

Azalea swallowed the lump in her throat and leapt down; the dwarf met her half way and lowered her to the ground.

"See, not so bad." He said with a kind smile.

Azalea returned it, "Who are you?" She asked, turning to grab the stew she had been given.

He held out his arm to guide her, she took it, "I am Fili. I think you've met my numbskull little brother." He said, "And ignore the ice coming from my cousins and uncle. I saw you during the scuffle with the trolls; you've got some fire in you, a fire the others won't forget." He smiled, "Perhaps that's why your hair is so red?" She laughed, "In all seriousness, you've shown you worth in battle, it won't be long until the others accept you as well."

She smiled, hoping that he was right. Even more, she was smiling because she had found a friend. Someone who looked beyond her heritage and admired her for the fight she carried inside of her. It had been a long while since that last happened and it caused her to hope for the others to look past her exterior as well.

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow. That's a lot of reception for one measly little chapter! Thank you for all of the reviews, I'm glad you guys like it! This chapter is mostly explaining who Azalea is. She seems shy, but she'll soon break out of that. I hope you guys enjoy, read and review, as always, they make me smile! xoxo, Momma Love**


	3. Chapter Three

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Three**

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As Azalea was led towards the rest of the company by Fili, she felt an increasing amount of eyes on her. She didn't expect anything less. She probably looked odd to them, a dwarf sized elf, but she was a hobbit as well. Her ears resembled as such yet not her feet, they were not large, they did not have an access amount of hair, they were small, dainty, and bare. Though you could not see the toughness of them, it was there. Just like as she crossed the circle of dwarves you could not see the steel interior of her through the soft exterior.

Azalea kept her eyes on her feet and the stew balanced on her hip, feeling more than a bit out of place. Fili sensed her nerves; he paused to pick up an apple, bouncing it off his elbow and into Azalea's free hand. She let out an amazed sound and a light laugh. Dwarves were a dexterous folk, she had forgotten that. With a warm and welcoming smile he brought her over to his brother, a brother who refused to acknowledge her.

Fili sat down a bit away from Kili and motioned for her to sit between them. She did, with slight hesitation, and she didn't dare look up in fear of exactly how many dwarves were gazing upon her. She simply gazed at the apple in her hand. Giving it a quick shine before placing it in the pack she had retrieved from the trolls.

No one in the company looked at ease with her there. Even Kili shifted beside her, clearly uncomfortable being next to someone of elf blood. Yet, she felt more comfortable beside him than she should, she felt more like the spitfire she truly was inside, "Really?" She questioned. He probably wasn't expecting any form of confrontation, the look of surprise told her that, "Who was the one stating that he had the "biggest parasites"? Shouldn't I be the one trying to get away from you?"

On the other side of her, Fili was practically barking in laughter. So were several of the dwarves around them. It truly wasn't hard to befriend the men if you had a sense of humour and a sense of combat. Even Kili smiled, "Fair enough." He said towards his stew, a stew he was stabbing with his spoon.

"For an elf, you're alright." Fili said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving them a small squeeze before returning to his pint of ale.

"For a dwarf, you wreak half as much as I thought you would." She countered with a sly smile. It was probably safe to say that Fili wasn't expecting that. He choked on his ale a bit, leading way to a raucous bit of laughter. One by one, the men around her smelled their underarms. Each one was probably greeted with a less than pleasant aroma. The force of Bombur's stench was so strong it sent him on his back. Beside him, Bofur laughed at his round brother, as did most of the company around them.

Then, just as Azalea was about ready to spoon a bit of stew into her mouth through bits of laughter, Thorin approached the company with Gandalf at his side. The men were suddenly quiet, as if there was never any laughter in the air, "Finish your meal then get ready to head out. Those brutes could not have travelled during daylight, meaning that they must have a cave nearby." His eyes connected with each of his men, finally settling on Azalea's oddly coloured ones, "Fall behind, and I'll leave you behind." He warned her. She nodded firmly, suddenly not so hungry. As Thorin walked away to tend to his own supplies, she stared into her soup. When she looked up, the young dwarf that had given it to her was looking her way. But, when their eyes connected he immediately ducked his head down. She smiled.

To be polite, she ate. She ate until there was nothing left.

"Ummm…." She muttered, causing Kili to turn his attention towards her.

He looked from the empty bowl to her frustrated face, letting out a small laugh, he stood and offered her his hand, "I'll show you where to put that."

Azalea smiled up at the young dwarf, "Done ignoring me, are you?" She asked in a playful manner, grasping his forearm and, with his help, standing up straight. He led her over to Bofur who was packing away dishes and empty pints.

"Bofur, one more." Kili said, nodding towards the suddenly sheepish girl beside him.

Bofur stopped packing and gave Azalea a look she couldn't quite read, "Ohhh, so the elf is makin' us take care of 'er dishes, is she? She too good ta scrub 'er own bowl?" He asked in complete seriousness. The look on her face was pure terror; she didn't know how to respond. Had Kili led her to slaughter? She started to panic, could she trust no one? After letting her suffer, Bofur started to laugh, "I'm just kiddin' darlin'." He said, motioning for her to hand over the bowl.

She wasn't sure what to do. So she handed him the bowl and was led away by Kili, who was laughing whole-heartedly, "He was only playing with you." He informed her. She just nodded, still trying to process what had just occurred, her hands still acting as if they held her empty bowl. He felt bad, so Kili knelt down and whispered in her ear, "It's dwarf for, 'they like you.'"

Her head snapped up at him, their faces very close together, "Really?" She said oh so innocently.

"Yes," He laughed, "he probably likes your fire, I know I do." He said, returning to packing away his things, leaving Azalea to smile to herself. As he tied his pack to his pony he looked back at the girl with the mane of fire. She looked truly happy that the company wasn't shunning her like she expected. She was biting onto the pad of her thumb, a colour of roses rushed across her cherub cheeks, giving her ivory skin a radiance that any flower would envy, and the most beautiful smile teased the corner of her lips. Kili found it even harder than before to cease his stares. It took the clang of Bifur's belongings to shake the young dwarf from his trance. He shook his head and continued packing his things.

But, he didn't look away fast enough. Fili had noticed. He was smiling like the devil as he leaned against his brother's pony, "A tad bit enchanted by the elf, are we?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"No." Kili said adamantly, "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about being burned by the fire?" The blonde dwarf said dramatically, "Of running your callused fingers through the flames of her curls?" He said, only to be silenced by his brother's hand.

Kili looked over his shoulders, a couple of the company were staring, "I know not of what you speak, brother!" He hissed, removing his hand, "She is an elf, by definition I cannot trust her!"

Fili rolled his eyes, "She is also half hobbit. You seem to have forgotten that."

The younger of the two sighed and grabbed the reins of his pony as he led her away, being both done with the conversation and his brother for the time being. Fili shook his head at the stubbornness of his fellow dwarf. His own pony was nudging at his shoulder, as if agreeing with him, "What am I to do with the dolt?" He asked, not particularly seeking an answer. He sighed and followed suit.

They need not travel far to reach the troll cave, that much was certain to them. The stench was hitting them from quite a ways away. As the dwarves led their ponies they covered their mouths with about as much as they could. Along the way, Azalea decided to formerly meet Mr. Baggins.

She extended her hand towards him, "Azalea." She offered.

He gave her a kind smile, "Bilbo Baggins, pleasure." The hobbit said with genuine sincerity. Now, that could be due to the fact that he finally had someone to talk to who wasn't a dwarf, she took it with that in mind, but was grateful none-the-less.

"What brings a hobbit so far from the Shire in the company of dwarves?" She asked.

He started to open his mouth only to be silenced by Dwalin, "'Tis not your place to say, boy." He warned the hobbit. Bilbo nodded, "Nor is it yours to ask, Miss Azalea." Dwalin threatened.

Azalea returned his threat with a sharp nod, not wanting to get on any of their bad sides. She clasped her hands behind her back and slowed her pace so she was at the end of the troupe. Hoping that if she kept her distance then the others wouldn't feel so uneasy. Little did she know that the two young brothers often held up the back of their company as well.

"Now, what brings such a lovely lady to these parts?" Fili asked, taking up her left flank and Kili her right.

She smiled at the ground, "I overstepped my boundaries a bit, so I removed myself from the situation, and sent myself to the back of the line."

Kili laughed, "That wouldn't be so easy to do if your boundaries weren't so ludicrously close at hand." He paused, "Thorin doesn't want you to know anything of our journey." He said in all seriousness.

"Which I think is complete rubbish." Fili admitted, "If you're going to be another burglar than you need to know exactly what you're to be burglaring!"

She laughed, "Not quite sure that's an actual word, Fili." She said, avoiding the new subject. Yes, she was quite a talented burglar, but that wasn't a part of her she held in high esteem. Only when she was desperate did she take from others. And as fate has never been kind to her she has often found herself to be desperate quite often.

Of course, the blonde ignored her statement and turned to his brother, "You think she could burglar anything?" He asked, "She seems too proper."

"I don't know, Fili… think she'll have to demonstrate." Kili said, rather menacingly.

Azalea let out a rather exasperated sigh, "Boys, is this really necessary?"

"Yes." They both said in unison. Neither appeared as if they were going to let up. The red headed girl let out another sigh.

"Fine." She said, reaching into her waist band, brandishing two different knives, "This is yours from the altercation last night," She handed one to Kili, "and this is yours. I swiped it while you choked on your ale." She said to Fili, handing him his blade as well.

The both looked at their accosted weapons with disbelief, "Now why did you feel the need to make off with our knives?" Kili asked.

She smiled, "My sword had been used by the trolls as a toothpick and broken, my arrows as an arse scratcher and broken, the string of my bow as a toe flosser and broken, and my knives they used to cut the bunions from their feet." A shiver raked her petite spine at the thought, "Those I did not try to retrieve."

The brothers both made faces of disgust, "Alright, then." Kili rationalized, handing his knife back to the small elf, "You may have this," He paused when she reached for it, yanking it out of her reach, "until you obtain weapons of your own." He flipped the knife, grabbing the dull edge of the blade and handing it back to her with a handsome smile, "Not that a woman such as yourself should have anything to do with ugliness of war."

A blush creeped across her cheeks. Azalea took hold of the hilt, "Thank you." She said, determined to ignore the sign of affection assaulting her face. Kili released the blade, casting a devious smile at his brother who returned it with his own.

"I need to speak with Thorin of… something." Fili said, marching ahead towards the front of the company, leaving Kili and Azalea to their own devices.

For a while, they walked in silence, neither feeling as comfortable around each other without the blond dwarf, "So…" Kili started, "You're an elf?"

She nodded, "Half, but yes."

"Huh." He grunted.

Azalea bit the inside of her tender cheek, wondering how she could quicken the pace of their conversation, "Can you tell me anything of your journey?" She asked, genuinely curious as to where they were headed.

Kili thought about it, "Hmmm… I don't know… I probably shouldn't." He looked around, "Let me just ask you something… In all of your travels, have you ever dealt with a dragon?"

She frowned. She had, in fact, been hired to slay a dragon in her time, "Yes. A cold-drake." She admitted, "But it was decades ago…" While she trailed off she made the connections, the signs, the sons of Durin, a dragon… "You're going to Erebor." She whispered.

"What?" Kili asked, not having heard her.

Her aquamarine eyes pierced his brown ones, "You're going to Erebor. You're taking back your mountain." She said quietly, so as not to alert the other members of the company.

He flashed a smirk, "You've caught me. And all I had to mention was a dragon. I think my uncle takes you to be a fool." That's when a concerned look crossed his face, "Hang on… you said you dealt with the drake _decades_ ago, just how old are you?" Kili asked.

"Why, Kili, Son of Durin," She exclaimed, pressing her hand to her chest in mock hurt, "a gentlemen never asks a lady her age so bluntly!"

Now it was Kili's turn to blush, not of affection, but of embarrassment, "I… I didn't mean…" He stammered. As Azalea started to laugh, he realized that he had been tricked, "Oh I forgot how you do love to joke." He said, going to pinch her cheek.

She shied away with a girly laugh, "That I do." She smiled, "And, if you must know, I will tell you that I've already matured. I will not, physically, age a day." She said with a shroud of mystery, "If you wish to know my actual age, you're going to have to offer me something more than a handsome face."

And with that, Azalea skipped ahead of the young dwarf, leaving him slack-jawed, astounded, but pleasantly so. He liked the girl. She was intelligent and could jest with the best of his people; her temperament could be as calming or interesting as her eyes or as fiery or warm as her hair. She thoroughly intrigued Kili, as she probably did the others. Never had he known to be so at ease and entertained in the company of an elf, or a hobbit for that matter.

While Kili was very pleased with their conversation, Azalea was a ways ahead of him, hiding the blush that formed after what she had said. She admitted that Kili was handsome. And he was, you'd have to be blind not to know that. Half the time she spoke to him she could not control the words that came from her, they letters just strung themselves together and demanded to be heard. She glanced over her shoulder at the young dwarf, a fierce blush colouring her face, to see that his lips and eyes were smiling, and his feet close to dancing. Upon turning back she bit onto the knuckle of her thumb and made a small noise of joy. But, when she looked up, the glare of a certain Thorin Oakenshield practically stopped her where she stood. He had seen how they had acted, and did not like it one bit. His nephew, infatuated with an elf. Now that he would not have.

"I see an opening!" Young Ori cried, pointing to the east.

Thorin took his eyes off of Azalea, reluctantly, to direct his men, "Leave the ponies here and gather by the mouth of the cave, no one enters alone. We do not know if the trolls were without allies." He commanded. As the dwarves, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Azalea did as they were told, Thorin waited for his youngest nephew to pass, "Kili, might I have a word?"

From the mouth of the cave, Azalea and Fili watched the young dwarf with Thorin, a stern look on his face. Now, Azalea had not known the man long, but Fili had, yet they both knew that what the king had to say was not good at all.

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**Author's Note: Okay, I've never written for LotR or the Hobbit before and this chapter was completely made up. Pure Azalea and Kili fluff. I hope the transition of distrust to trust wasn't too sudden. I wouldn't imagine that it would take much to convince these men that her intentions are pure, seeing as she had already helped save Bilbo and she, personally, had not done anything to harm them. Anyways, wow, thank you guys for liking this. If you think the pure fluff is bad I will stick to the movie and try not to stray far from it. Review! xoxo, Momma Love**


	4. Chapter Four

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Four**

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There was an eerie silence in the air as half of the company waited until their kin had finished pillaging the troll cave. After Kili had been lectured by his uncle he sat in silence next to his brother. Azalea? Azalea had climbed the nearest tree and vanished from everyone's sight, claiming she was scanning the area. Which could be true, but mostly she wanted to escape the sad looks from Kili. As she sat on a sturdy branch of the oak tree she thought over what she had heard the dwarf king say to his nephew. All the while feeling something akin to ill in the pit of her stomach and making herself a new bow from the trees wood. The words Thorin had said were words she had heard many a time before. It did not stop them from wounding her. If anything, they cut deeper than they ever had before.

_"What in Durin's name do you think you're doing?" Thorin seethed at his nephew._

_ Kili wasn't quite sure what he meant, "I was tying up my pony-…"_

_ The dwarf king smacked Kili upside the head, "No, I mean what are you doing with that elven girl?!" He bellowed._

_ The young dwarf blinked, "Azalea? Uncle, she's kind. She's a friend, I trust her, and I do not believe her to be like the elves that betrayed you!" He said, defending his friend._

_ "You believe that now, but trust me, all elves are the same. They view us as lesser creatures unworthy of their presence and aid. When you need her most, she will stab you whilst your back is turned and leave you bloody!" Thorin grasped his nephew's shoulders, "Do not give her that chance. Keep her at a distance, as all elves should be kept, do not allow her to make a fool of you!"_

_Kili looked sad, "But… uncle…"_

_ Thorin clenched his fists, "Promise me, promise me you will not let her close. Promise me you will not succumb to her deceptive ways!"_

"I promise uncle…" Azalea whispered into the trees. She had known that the king bore a grudge against her kind, and rightfully so, but she had not predicted the venomous words and anger. She allowed herself to get along with the dwarves and soon realized that that was a mistake. A sigh escaped her. There were two people whom she could talk to without fear of angering Thorin. Mr. Baggins and Gandalf. She did not wish it so, but that is how dwarves and elves lived in Middle-Earth. Distant and cold to the other. With her mind elsewhere, she sliced the tip of her finger as she carved her bow, "Damn." She cursed, placing the wound inside of her mouth and leaning back against the tree, hopelessly trying to find peace in her hectic life.

Below her, Fili and Kili sat without a word to the other. They had been sitting like that for some time. By the look on Kili's face, Fili knew that something was wrong, that Thorin had said something to force the young dwarf to act as he did around their father. There was no devilish spark to his eye, no playfulness to his actions; there was no Kili inside of his own skin.

Finally, Fili spoke, "Brother…" The look the younger of the two wore spoke more than his words ever could. He did not wish to speak, to Fili or to anyone else. "Kili, what did uncle say to you? What did he say to make you act so cold?" The blonde dwarf persisted.

Kili sighed. His hands balled into fists as they rested atop his knees, "He spoke to me about Azalea. How I was too trusting of her." He admitted, a look of sadness touching his near lifeless eyes, "I promised him that I would not allow her to get close, that I wouldn't fall victim to her deceptions and lies."

"But brother, she has not lied to us!" Fili countered, "You saw the life in her, and you saw her reaction to merely being accepted amongst us! She's a mighty warrior with a tongue sharper than any blade I've seen; do not let uncle dissuade you like this!"

The younger dwarf looked up into the tree, barely able to see Azalea's fiery red hair through the branches, "I'm sorry, but this is how it must be. She will not find friendship in me."

At times such as these, Fili wished to strike his brother. Of the two, Kili had always been more willing to please their father and uncle, more obedient when orders were given. Fili wasn't sure why, it's just how he had always been, ever since they were little. He was sure it probably had something to with the fact that he was younger. That didn't matter to Fili that day, Azalea had a good heart and Thorin was forcing her out of their lives with his prejudice and hatred.

He couldn't help it. Fili struck his brother, hard.

Kili held his offended cheek in his hand. His eyes grew angry and looked as if he was going to strike back. He might have done just that, if the rest of the company had not emerged from the troll horde with much in tow. Kili watched as his brother stood and made his way over to sort through the weapons. He sighed and followed, knowing the time for talk was over. As he approached the others he was surprised to find Azalea already amongst them. He had not heard her descend from her spot in the tree, nor had he seen her.

Carefully he approached the pile of weapons, searching for the one thing he could not seem to find. He pushed aside several magnificent weapons, growing ever more frustrated that events never seem to end in his favour. He picked up a shield and near well threw it in a slight rage, when the thing he wanted was dangled in his face. A hickory bow and a quiver full of arrows.

And who was dangling it? Azalea. He gingerly took them from her, her eyes never looking his way, "How did you…?" He started to ask.

"The calluses on your fingers." She said bluntly, "They're of an archer, are they not?"

Kili shook his head, "They are. Thank you, Azalea."

For a brief moment, she stopped sifting through the weapons and she began to sway. Kili steadied her, "Are you alright?" He asked.

Her eyes were distant for an instant, "Just a wave of nausea, nothing I can't handle."

"If you're sure…" He started to say.

She simply nodded, her ivory hand wrapping around the sheath of a thin blade. She unsheathed it, forcing a deathly chill down Kili's spine. A wicked smile twitched at her lips, "This… this is Ringil." She laughed, "These trolls do have an interesting horde." She turned to the old wizard, "Gandalf, these are not the swords of trolls!" And, with that, she was gone. Though the air was already chilled, the lack of Azalea made Kili feel even colder.

There truly was a fire within the girl. A fire that affected all who accompanied her. He hadn't noticed it until then, when he had separated himself from her almost completely. He watched her, as she talked excitedly with Bilbo and Gandalf about their fines. As she laughed, her fiery curls danced and her eyes sparkled, Kili had never known such raw beauty. When her eyes found his, her eyes darkened. They went from an electrifying aqua to a dull teal. The change was drastic and could not be natural. He had never known eyes to do such a thing. He saw her quickly bid her friends goodbye and she climbed another tree, a half made bow between her teeth, her new blade at her waist, and a quiver of arrows on her back.

Kili moved towards his brother when he heard Azalea's voice ring loud, "Something's coming!" She called. He looked to her spot in the tree, her eyes scanning the surroundings expertly before she jumped to another tree.

"Stay together, hurry now!" Gandalf called to the rest of the company, "Arm yourselves!"

Fili rushed to his brother, never wanting to be too far from him in battle, with his sword brandished and Kili's bow strung, both ready to strike. That's when laughter could be heard from the trees. Confused, hey both looked up to see Azalea descending to a lower branch where she watched whatever was approaching as it came closer with a loving smile on her face. Upon looking down they were met with their foe. Through the bushes came a rabbit-drawn sled. Had the dwarves not seen it they would not have believed it. A rabbit-drawn sled. Driven by an elderly old man in brown covered head to toe with mud, bird droppings, and strewn with twigs and bugs.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" The man cried as his rabbits parted the circle of dwarves.

"Calm down Radagast!" Azalea laughed from the trees, dropping to the ground and heading over towards the old man. She stood beside Gandalf, who had a tired smile on his face in response to seeing an old, if not slightly mental, friend.

Gandalf turned to the company, "Radagast the Brown!" He stepped through the forest to approach him, "What are you doing here…?" Was his tired question.

"I was looking for you Gandalf!" He exclaimed, then, in a more serious tone added, "Something's wrong, something's terribly wrong."

Said wizard hesitantly responded with, "Yes…?"

Radagast raised his finger and looked as if ready to talk when… he suddenly couldn't. He looked around and tried to speak again. He looked as if he forgot what he was going to say. Azalea approached him, "Come on, old friend, what is it?"

"Just give me a minute…" The frazzled old man asked of the people around him, "Ohhh!" He said in frustration, "I had a thought and now I've lost it! It was right there!" He exclaimed, pointing to his mouth, "On the tip of my tongue!"

Azalea arched a brow at him, "Are you sure it's not another…"

"Oh!" Radagast gasped, "It's not a thought at all!" He said as if his tongue had turned to lead, "It's just an old…" He said, though you could barely understand him, "stick insect!" He finished, holding out his hand as Gandalf dropped the bug he had retrieved from his friend's mouth.

The wizard shook his head with a quiet laugh, "Does this happen often, Azalea?"

She chuckled, "More than you would think."

"Azalea! When did you get here?" Radagast asked the girl with the hair of fire.

Again, she chuckled, "I've been here, old friend."

"Have you now?" He questioned.

She gave him a warm smile, "Yes, now, tell us what has you so worried?"

The frantic man's face turned serious, "The Greenwood is sick!" He proclaimed. The colour in Azalea's already near colourless skin left her cheeks, "Gandalf, a darkness has fallen over it, nothing grows anymore, at least nothing good!"

"There must be something you can do…" Azalea whispered.

Radagast looked at her in sadness, "I'm afraid not. The air is foul with decay. But worse are the webs!"

Gandalf, who had been pacing, turned in confusion, "Webs? What do you mean?"

"Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones." Was the wizard's cryptic reply.

"Spiders?" Azalea asked. Giant spiders never ventured so far into the Greenwood, never near Radagast or his sanctuary.

Radagast nodded, "I followed their trail… they came from… Dol Guldur."

The look on Gandalf's face was pure disbelief, so was the look on Azalea's. She knew of the abandoned fortress, nothing good ever came from visiting such a dark place. Her sister elves had abandoned it long ago and ventured north to the Black Mountains. Even elves could not cleanse such a place of all of its evil.

"Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned…" Said the grey wizard.

Radagast shook his head, "No, Gandalf, it's not."

As the brown wizard retold his tale, Azalea backed away from the two. Her head was light; she was having a hard time seeing what was around her. The Greenwood was the closest place she had to home, the most sacred part of Middle-Earth, the fact that it had been desecrated by evil made her sick to her stomach. She found support against a tree when the earth's pull became too strong. Bilbo approached her when he saw her present state.

He held her hand, "Azalea? What's the matter?" He asked.

There came wetness at the corner of her eyes, "The Greenwood, I was born there. I've always had a… connection to it. Now that I know it's sick… no wonder I've been feeling ill." She told him, thinking back to the nausea she'd encountered that day.

Not too far from them, Fili took notice to Azalea's state as well. He nudged his brother, "Something's wrong with Azalea."

Kili's neck could've snapped from how quickly he turned to her. The brothers were next to her in seconds, "Should we get Gandalf?" He asked. He did not want to interrupt the man and his discussion with Radagast, but he did not wish harm upon Azalea either.

"No…" She whispered, "There isn't anything anyone can do." She said morosely, a single tear falling down her cheek, "Please, leave me be…" She asked the people around her. Bilbo politely nodded, giving Azalea's hand a squeeze before returning to the other dwarves. Fili and Kili were not so easily dissuaded.

Kili looked to his brother, "I'll watch her." He said. Fili gave Azalea a swift kiss to the cheek and reluctantly followed the hobbit back to the company. After watching his brother go, Kili turned back to her, "Are you sure there isn't anything-ˮ

"Don't anger your uncle on account of me." She said sadly.

His brown eyes widened slightly, "You heard? How did you…?"

She smiled a sad smile that practically broke his heart. She brought a hand up to her ears, "These hear all. Even the things I wish they couldn't."

His fists balled at his sides of their own free will, "Azalea…" He said through clenched teeth.

Her head shook from side to side, "It's alright. I'm an elf, you're a dwarf. There will always be bad blood between us; I understand your uncle's reluctance to trust me. I had expected such hesitance from you and your brother from the start. I was surprised when I had received it from you and not from him."

Kili wanted to protest, to say that things didn't have to be the way that they were. But he knew that it wasn't true. As long as he was a son of Durin and she was of elven blood, there could never be peace between them. He opened his mouth to apologize when she grasped his arm tightly.

"Something evil approaches…" She whispered, turning quickly and climbing the tree she had been using for support. Kili watched as she climbed and admitted to himself that he quite enjoyed the view even as he mentally slapped himself for even thinking it. She was back on the ground within seconds, "Thorin!" She called, his attention turned to her, "Warg scouts!"

His eyes widened, "How far off?" He asked.

"The scouts will be upon us soon, I could see the pack not too far off." She informed him, unsheathing her sword which encouraged others to do the same.

And she was correct; the sounds of a Warg's growl could be heard all around them. Kili pulled out an arrow and strung his bow with it, ready to strike down any opponent. The first Warg came from behind Bofur and attacked Dwalin. Thorin quickly pounced on and slayed the animal. The next tried to surprise the dwarf king himself only to shot down by one of Kili's arrows. The third didn't even have a chance to attack; Azalea sent three throwing knives into the beast's skull.

As all seemed safe for the brief moment, Gandalf spoke, "Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" He asked in a tone that was rarely heard.

"No one." Was the king's reply.

"_Who did you tell_?" Gandalf asked again. The king's reply remained the same.

"No one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin asked.

Azalea came forward, "You're being hunted. I thought I had smelled orc along the way…" She muttered.

"And you did not think to tell me of this?" Thorin yelled.

She glared at him, "Had you believed me if I had?" She growled.

"This is no time for the past!" Dwalin practically roared, "We have to get out of here!"

"We can't!" Cried Ori, "We haven't any ponies, they've bolted!"

Azalea turned over the necklace she wore around her chest, "I'll draw them off."

Next to her, Kili's jaw practically dropped, "You'll what?"

"I'll draw them off long enough for you lot to get clear out of here!" She explained, getting mild complaints from the dwarves around her.

Gandalf came up behind her, "These are Gundabad Wargs, are you sure you're quick enough?" He asked.

Kili couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Of course she isn't quick enough! Have you both gone mad?!" He near well yelled, "What makes you think you could possibly be quick enough to outrun a full grown Warg?!"

"I'll help as well, these are Rhosgobel Rabbits!" Radagast interjected, pointing to his sled, "I'd like to see those Wargs _try_ to outrun them."

Thorin contemplated his situation, "Alright, let's move!" He said, gesturing for his company to follow.

As Azalea started to Radagast in the other direction, Kili refused to let go of his hold on your arm, "You're mad, you're going to get ripped to pieces!" He hissed at her, trying desperately to not show the desperation in his eyes.

She cracked a devilish smile at him, "There are perks to being born in the Greenwood, son of Durin." She held the necklace up for him to see, "And perks to being a thief." Azalea then tucked the necklace underneath her blouse and ran off in the other direction, catching up to Radagast in seconds. Kili couldn't believe his eyes, perhaps she could outrun a Warg after all.

* * *

**Author's Note: DreamingToAchieving, thank you very much for your input on me following the storyline. And thanks to the rest of you! I'm really touched that you like my writing style! Sorry I couldn't get this out yesterday (I really tried), but I had messed up something and hadn't caught it until I was halfway through then I ended up deleting all of it. Sorry :/. Hope this makes up for it! Please, read & review, I love your input! I might tweak some things here, I'm a wee bit tired (it being 1 AM) and not at my best. Well, love you all, enjoy the read! xoxo, Momma Love**


	5. Chapter Five

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Five**

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Azalea didn't have long to think of a plan. She, essentially, had no time at all. That's what bothered her most about her situation. It didn't bother her that the king she was protecting was ungrateful, it did not bother her that she could easily die, and it did not bother her that only Fili and Kili protested against her wishes. With a fierce look on her face she tied her hair back with ribbon. '_It's now or never._' She thought to herself.

She exhaled and began to run. From out of the woods and across the dry grassy plain Azalea ran, distancing herself from those she was trying to protect. As she ran she kept her eyes sharp for the slightest inclination that the pack was closing in. Her eyes darted across her visual horizon. There seemed to be no immediate danger

Seeing no obvious signs of orcs Azalea coaxed herself to a halt. She closed her eyes and let her ears take in her surroundings. They weren't far off… and they were approaching, quickly; she could hear their roars of bloodlust. She grabbed hold of her pendant, "Eru Ilúvatar, berio ven, edraith ammen." She prayed to the Father of All for protection.

She did not do so often. Praying to her meant there was no other option. A sigh escaped her; maybe she hadn't done the most brilliant thing. But she would protect her friends. She turned to the cluster of rocks the dwarves hid behind. With her ears trained to listen off into the distance she wasn't able to hear what the company was saying. How she wondered…

"How does she move so fast?" Bilbo asked Gandalf.

The old wizard chuckled, "Azalea has acquired many magical trinkets in her travels. The one she cherishes most grants her the great speed you saw, gives her the power of the wind."

Thorin barked a humourless laugh, "Acquired? You mean stolen, don't you?"

Gandalf gave a venomous glare to the king, "Anything Azalea has taken unwillingly from others was being used for selfish and sometimes dangerous purposes. She would bring them to Radagast or I, the truly dangerous objects were left in my care while she kept the few things she carries on her person at all times." He said, his voice edged with malice.

"She is no more than a common thief. We never should have brought her on this quest." Thorin grumbled to himself.

There were few times when Gandalf would truly be angered, the dwarf's statement incited a rage to form within the wizard, unlike any he had ever seen, "You're very brave to say such things as you cower behind your prejudice. Considering the woman you are slandering so thoroughly is currently risking everything she has to make sure you get away safely, truly says something about your character!"

All around the wizard and king, the company stared, slack-jawed, they had never heard Gandalf speak as such. Thorin looked around to his men, anger clear on his face, he turned back to Gandalf, "Fine. I will admit she is courageous, but I still will not trust her."

A small distance away, Fili and Kili listened to their uncle. Both were clutching at their weapons so tightly their knuckles blanched, "I'm getting sick of his hatred." Fili muttered quietly to his brother, "I'm getting sick of all this in general." He said, motioning towards where Azalea stood in wait.

"I feel you brother." Kili said, placing a hand on his older brother's shoulder, "But she made her decision, all we can do is pray for her safety." He said calmly, though he was feeling quite the opposite. There was a fire in him at the thought of the beautiful elven hobbit that he had become so fond of being put in harm's way.

Carefully, he stuck his head out from behind the rock. There she stood; ready to be massacred by the foul beasts that hunted them. Suddenly, she became alert. She turned to look at Kili, her electric eyes looking at him sadly. She smiled and motioned for him to leave her be, to protect himself. Reluctantly he obliged her wishes, not before his brown eyes pled with her to get to safety.

She shook her head; she couldn't allow Kili to fool her into turning back. With a brave face she returned her attention to the direction the orcs would be coming from. Some part of her told her to hide. That what she was about to do was nothing shy of suicide. She kindly told that part of her to stuff itself.

Her mind and heart started to race. She was starting to panic. Lights flashed across her vision as she tried to find something to settle her. To her right was a large rock, she hid behind it to calm herself down and to formulate a plan. She hadn't really given it much thought. But, if the orcs were solely focused on Radagast then there was still a chance that the dwarves could be seen. She would have to split the pack, force half to chase her as well. Deeply she inhaled and exhaled and forced the underlying nausea further down. She did not feel at her best, but as long as she had the charm around her neck she did not need to be in order for her mission to succeed.

Again, she held her pendant in her hand, "Avo dheo enni." She prayed. And rightfully so, the Wargs came shortly after she finished. They leapt over her hiding place in order to pursue Radagast who had just burst from the underbrush of the woods. Problem was that their path was dangerously close to the dwarves. She scrounged up all the courage she could and let out a high pitch whistle. Their attention turned to her, "Ohhh _laaaaadies_!" Azalea taunted, "I do _love_ your _skirts_!"

The head orc roared something that roughly translated to "get the whore" and suddenly she was being chased by five Wargs. Quickly she made her escape. Her feet barely skimmed the ground as she ran, taking twists and turns to keep the company safe. Good thing for her hobbit blood for she had no time to be weary of where she stepped. A small gift in her hell of a situation.

She took in her surroundings; there wasn't much she could do in terms of attack without getting mauled in the process. Still, she took two knives from her pouch and sent them at the nearest orc and Warg. The knives buried itself between the eyes of the Warg and into the shoulder of the orc. Not deep enough to fatally wound either but in confusion the beast rammed into a nearby rock. Azalea couldn't look to see the results of her work, but by the sound of the crack she heard either the Warg's skull had broken or the Warg's skull had broken the rock. In both scenarios, the Warg was, mostly likely, dead.

She had no idea of what happened to the orc, she didn't have time to worry about that. "One down, four to go." She told herself, a tired smile spreading across her face.

With the Warg's a moderately safe distance away, Azalea used her hearing to determine the state of the dwarves. They were on the move. She whipped her head back to see them scurrying off to another cluster of rocks. She cursed to herself. What was Radagast doing? Leading them straight to folly? She was about ready to turn sharply to reduce the chances of the company being seen when she noticed something dangerous.

She noticed one stray orc. His nose was lifted towards the sky and Azalea knew that he had caught there scent. She had completely forgotten about that possible outcome and was mentally kicking herself because of it. She had to dispatch of her pursuers and get to the company, fast. Again, she looked around. She had to think of something. She was practically raking her brain when her eyes locked onto a large rock. What she was thinking was possibly crazy… but she didn't have much of a choice.

'_Nesto nin._' She thought to herself before running straight at the rock. In order for her plan to succeed she had to slow her pace to allow the Wargs to get close. Only when the beasts were practically nipping at her heels and she was only a short distance away from the rock did she take an extremely sharp turn. Two Wargs crashed into the rock at full speed, more than likely shattering her skulls and killing them on impact.

If only it had killed all four. But luck never really was on Azalea's side. The feint she had performed would prove to be her downfall. The force of her turn caused her to stumble, allowing a nearby Warg to sink its teeth into her arm. Its fangs cut through flesh and tendon, nearly severing the bone. She tried to hold it in. A scream escaped her as blood pooled from the wound. The Warg did not let the scream deter it, it shook its head to maximize damage. The pain was excruciating, to say the least. It felt as if her arm was being ripped from her shoulder.

Her mind was clouded by the fear and pain she felt. Frantically, she reached a shaking had to her waist for a dagger. She couldn't feel it, her body was going numb. She looked down reluctantly. She didn't want to take her eyes off her attacker but had no choice. Upon finding it, she grasped the hilt tight and rammed the blade straight into the Wargs left temple, instantly killing it.

The beasts jaw eventually slackened and she escaped its clutches, but did not escape danger. The last Warg riding orc remained. The orc sneered at her, practically defiling her with his eyes. Overcome by pure instinct, Azalea threw the dagger into the Warg's skull and then reached for Ringil, the sword strapped to her back. She unsheathed her blade and charged at the fallen beast. She stepped on the hilt of the dagger, still secured in the skull of the Warg and slashed off the orc's head.

Exhausted, she collapsed to her knees, her injured arm clutched to her chest. With effort, she placed Ringil back inside its sheath, seeing as her arm had practically turned to lead. Blood pooled around her, but she had something she still needed to do. Her eyes scanned the horizon. She was shocked to find the rogue orc approaching the dwarf's current hiding place. Azalea bolted for it. She couldn't have been five feet away when an arrow was shot into the Warg. Then the orc was shot by an arrow as well.

"Dammit!" She cursed, quickly climbing the rock and tackling the Warg to the ground. The beast, still being alive, snapped at her ferociously, snarling and growling like the wounded animal it was. She was about to reach for another knife when Dwalin came and delivered a swift blow to the creatures head with his hammer. By the look of it, it was dead. But not before making quite a ruckus. The rest of the pack would not be able to not hear that.

Azalea rolled out from underneath the Warg, her left arm still near useless, when Bifur ran forth and helped Dwalin take out the orc that was still stubbornly kicking. Thorin and Kili joined their kin to aid them. The orc was proving to be very hard to kill. Azalea smirked at that when a pulse of pain was sent through her, she convulsed forward, and an inaudible scream riveted through her. Her seizing body must have caught the attention of someone because they were next to her in seconds.

She looked up to see the familiar braided blonde mustache of Fili. She smirked, "I'm fine, really."

"You're bleeding everywhere." He protested. He ripped something from his waist and wrapped it around the puncture wounds. He tied a knot gingerly at the crook of her elbow, "And this wouldn't have happened if us dwarves were as fast as you." He smiled, clearly trying to set her at ease.

Azalea had opened her mouth to thank her friend. Behind them, Thorin wasn't having that, "If she had done what she promised then that orc would not have found us!" He barked.

There were many things Azalea would let happen to her, but she was nearing the end of her limit when it came to Thorin, "All of the Wargs I had distracted are dead, as are the orcs that rode them." She informed the man, "If you had thought to disguise your scent then maybe this would not have happened!" She seethed, "Take blame for this for it is no one's fault but yours, you insufferable, arrogant, twit!" She yelled, "Now, stop looking to pin all your mishaps on me because the rest of that pack will be upon us in seconds!"

All around her see was met with disbelief. No one ever talked to Thorin Oakenshield as such. Not even when he truly needed it. The king opened his mouth to respond when the howls of the Wargs reached them, "Move… run!" Gandalf cried, spurring everyone else into action. Azalea had trouble standing. Fili and Kili were next to her in the blink of an eye, helping her to her feet. She nodded her thanks and broke into a run beside them.

They had not ventured far when Azalea swore rather violently next to the brothers. Kili turned to her, "What is it?"

"We're cornered." She snarled, her eyes flitting back and worth constantly, "_Gandalf_!" She yelled, "They're closing in!" She informed the wizard. Kili looked around, holding back with his bow drawn in case he needed to attack.

"There they are!" Glóin stated, causing everyone to halt, pointing out into the distance.

Frantically, Gandalf looked for a way out, "This way!" He beckoned, "Quickly!"

They turned near the direction they had come. Azalea knew it was useless. They were doomed. She could hear several orcs coming right at them. She looked back at Kili, he had spotted more. It was evident on his face. She didn't wish to upset the others so she kept her mouth shut.

As Warg riding orcs appeared from behind a rock, the company practically froze where they stood, "_There's more coming_!" Kili yelled to them.

"Kili, shoot them!" Thorin called to his nephew. The young dwarf brought up his bow, ready to strike, as he ran towards his kin. Azalea reached for the hilt of her blade. She was going to go down fighting if it killed her. And it just might.

Next to her, Fili yelled, "We're surrounded!"

Immediately, Kili started firing arrows into the approaching Wargs. Quickly, they fell. But not quick enough. They were still in danger, "Where's Gandalf?!" Balin asked.

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin said. Azalea immediately turned, looking for the wizard. Gandalf would not leave anyone in a mess such as the one they were in. Her eyes then found Ori, frightened, with his slingshot drawn. He sent a rock at the Warg slowly approaching him. The beast was clearly not affected.

It leapt at the young dwarf, "NO!" Azalea cried, running as fast as she could to intercept the Warg. She managed to knock the creature from its path when she looked to Ori, "Get back!" She yelled. Hesitantly he obeyed, running towards his brothers. Once she knew that he was safe, Azalea returned her attention to the Warg. She gave her sword a flourish, "Come and get it _ugly_!" She yelled.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin called to his kin, holding his sword firmly at his side.

They were about ready to strike when suddenly; Gandalf reappeared, "This way, you fools!" He called from an odd formation of rock. Azalea whipped her head towards the wizard, a relieved smile forming on her face, proving to be her end. The Warg took advantage of her distraction and leapt at her, its teeth dug into her thigh and she was greeted with an even more intense pain than before. Then the thing raked a claw across her face, sending her into the cluster of rocks.

One by one, the dwarves made their way towards Gandalf and into the mouth of a newly formed cave, sliding down the rocky slope, and into the sweet clutches of safety. At the entrance, Thorin dispatched of any Warg that dare approached, ensuring the protection of his people. After slicing through one of the beasts his eyes looked to Azalea who hadn't moved since she had been attacked. She was barely moving, bloody, on the ground. He did not trust her but he did not wish death upon her.

He almost went to help her when another Warg made its way to attack, "Fili, Kili!" He called to his nephews. They stopped fighting and turned to see what was wrong. Kili's eyes were about to return to an approaching Warg when he saw the red haired elven hobbit coughing up blood that Thorin was pointing to as she hide herself against a rock.

Immediately, he ran at her. Fili soon followed suit. They helped her stand once again and led her over to the cave. Carefully they placed her on the slope allowing her to slide down to moderate safety. Upon reaching the bottom she suppressed a scream. Bilbo was at her side in seconds. He looked at her wounded leg, there was blood everywhere, "Does anyone have anything to wrap this with?" He asked the other dwarves. Ori knelt down next to the two hobbits and rummaged through his pack. Eventually he pulled out an honest to Eru Ilúvatar wrapping bandage.

"Will this do?" He asked sluggishly.

Bilbo stared at the bandage in wonder, "Uhh, yes! Thank you, Ori, this is perfect!" He thanked the young dwarf as he started to wrap Azalea's leg. He found some difficulty in it so she helped him. She lifted her leg slightly; all the while she was biting back the pain, as well as the screams, trying to think of something to distract her from it all. She didn't even notice when Kili rushed to her, placing her hand in his. She offered him a pained smile. Kili smiled back, taking her hand and gently rubbing his thumb over it, something he had always done when his mother was feeling ill. He genuinely hoped that it was help soothe Azalea.

Then, the call of a horn could be heard. It was odd, nothing like any horn Kili had ever heard. Then he heard the familiar sound of arrows cutting through the air. He looked out of the cave, clearly confused as to what was going on. He could not see much. Soon, a dead orc rolled into their hiding spot, thoroughly surprising all of them. Azalea let out a laugh that was slightly obscured from the blood, "Elves." She coughed.

Upon hearing the cursed word, Thorin ripped out the broken arrow, "Elves." He confirmed. He threw it to the ground and shared a look with Gandalf that the others could not read yet still knew what it meant. Thorin had been saved by elves and was not happy about it.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads!" Dwalin called to his kin after heading as far as he could down the path as he could without losing sight of the company, "Do we follow it or no?"

"Follow it of course!" Bofur replied. Everyone followed Bofur as he ran down the path.

Bilbo and Kili did not move, they stayed next to Azalea and tried to help her stand. Her leg was far too injured to take her weight; she collapsed to the ground as soon as she started to stand. Thorin took note to this, "If she is too injured to move, leave her. She's used up her usefulness." He directed at his nephew.

Kili could not believe what he was hearing. He had looked up to Thorin Oakenshield, was proud to tell people that he was his uncle. As he looked to him in that instant, he was a little disgusted, "He's right…" Azalea said to him, "Go, I'll be fine." She tried to convince him.

He wasn't accepting that. Kili was not leaving her there. He kneeled down close to her, "Put your arms around my neck." He commanded her, determination clear in his voice.

"What?" She asked, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Put. Your arms. Around. My neck." He said only somewhat harshly. Very hesitantly, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, oh so carefully, he reached underneath her knees and held her close to him as he stood, carrying her with ease. He looked to his uncle, a look of disbelief on his face, "Well?" He asked, "Are we going or not?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Ugh, this chapter gave me so much trouble. Then I got past my brick wall and gave you guys 500 more words! I love it! Midget998, Azalea is an original character of my own creation, she wasn't, or should not have been, in the book or in the movie. Other than that, I _really_ like this chapter and I'm hoping the next one will come along a little easier! Sorry this wasn't out yesterday. I tried, I really did. Anyways, enjoy, read and review, I HAVE OVER 100 ALERTS FOR THIS STORY AND OVER 3,000 VIEWS, this, honestly, makes me so happy. Happier than I have been in a long while. xoxo, Momma Love**


	6. Chapter Six

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Six**

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The path the company travelled was damp, dank, and seldom used. Above them the earth split ever-so-slightly allowing the sun to light their way while hiding them from their enemy's eyes. The path was relatively narrow and would make it difficult for someone of normal height to travel it comfortably. That was not a problem for a majority of the dwarves, only Gandalf had a true issue with it. Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Thorin were a little uncomfortable, being the tallest of the dwarves, and Azalea would've had a problem as well, if she wasn't being carried so valiantly by Kili.

It wasn't as if she was mortally wounded, just her leg wasn't in the mood to cooperate. The only reason why there was so much blood was the gash to her face. It was, literally, just a knick to her lower lip, but it caused her mouth to constantly fill with blood to the point where she couldn't contain it. Every few seconds she'd have to turn away from everyone and spit a gob of blood into the dirt. Each time she did, Fili would gently rub her back, easing whatever emotions were barreling through her head and abused body.

The trek through the crevice did not take long. It just seemed to last for eternity being that there wasn't a word uttered the entire time they walked. The only sound to be heard was Thorin, huffing and puffing like a wounded Warg after the defiance of his youngest nephew. Never had Kili done anything like it before, making it all the harder for the gruff dwarf king to believe it. Fili, sure, but never Kili.

Perhaps it was just the young dwarf realizing that he did, in fact, have a mind of his own. He turned slightly to the girl that caused his defiant behavior in the first place. A girl with a heart of gold. Blood still freely fell from her lip, she still spat every half minute or so, she still looked to be in pain, "How are you feeling?" He whispered quietly to her.

She looked up with a cheeky grin, allowing Kili to see her blood covered teeth, "Much better." Azalea said truthfully, "If only this lip wound would heal…" She muttered, removing one of her arms from around Kili's neck and wiping off the blood on her chin with the back of her hand. When she felt as if she'd done away with most of it she smiled at Kili again, "See? It's not as bad as it looks!"

Kili slowed his pace to get a good look at the three scratches to her lip. She was right. I was as if she'd been scratched by an angry house cat and not a full grown Warg. Granted, the claws of common cat were probably not as well spread out as those of a full grown Warg, "I guess you don't need me then?" He teased the fiery redhead in his arms as he started to lower her towards the ground. She remained, almost stubbornly, clinging desperately to his neck.

"You still have your usefulness." She muttered quietly into his neck, hiding behind his mane of matted hair so he did not see her cheeks going up in flames. In instances like the one she was in, she didn't mind being taken care of just did not really fancy it. She lived most of her life alone, without the help of others, if she started to become used to the notion she knew that she'd have a hard time transitioning back down the road.

The young dwarf chuckled quietly, "I'll take that as a no."

She nodded against his neck, whispering a near silent 'thank you' as she did. She had no idea if he even heard her. It was less than likely with the waterfall crashing down just near the end of the tunnel.

One by one the dwarves stopped to admire the grand and magnificent kingdom below them. It was none other than the valley of Imladris. Azalea let out an exasperated sigh as her eyes cast over one of the cities of her kin. Long ago she had found refuge in the great kingdom, where she met the only elf to treat her as a friend. Ryvern, one of Lady Arwen's personal caretakers. That was the only reason that Azalea did not outwardly voice her displeasure. She would grant that privilege to none other than Thorin. She just looked up to Kili, "You can just toss me over that ledge there." She said dryly, relaxing her arms and placing them in her lap. Kili half-chuckled, half-looked at her with alarm. He couldn't tell if she was serious or not. After all, he had no idea where they were.

"The valley of Imladris." Gandalf said as he came out into the open, "In the common tongue it's known by another name."

It was the small hobbit that cracked a smile and said, "Rivendell."

With realization in his eyes, Kili looked to Azalea. A sad smile on her face. He clutched her ever tighter to him. Even Fili approached, keeping a hand at her back. Having found out where they were, the other dwarves looked at each other in slight distaste, "The last homely house east of the sea." Gandalf continued, nothing but calmness and relaxation coming from him while nothing but anger and malice came from Thorin.

"This was your plan all along. Seek refuge with our enemy." He said venomously to the old wizard.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself!" Gandalf retorted, clearly not liking the king's lack of gratitude for their safety.

Thorin sneered, "You think the elves," he paused, "will give our quest their blessing?" He asked, "They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered!" The old wizard responded.

Slightly confused, Azalea looked up at Kili, "You do?"

He nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah… has to do with a map…" He muttered.

Beside her, Fili scoffed, "We have a map that leads us to a secret entrance into the mountain." He whispered quietly into Azalea's ear.

Ahead of them, Gandalf continued to speak, "If we are to be successful this will needed to be handled with tact and respect. And no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to Azalea and myself." He told the still fuming dwarf in front of him.

"Umm… Gandalf?" Azalea asked, "Even the elves of Rivendell do not… er… enjoy my company." She stated.

He turned to her with a kind, tired, old smile, "Yes, but you know how to present yourself in their presence. If you wished to do so." He said with a knowing glance to her before turning and leading the dwarves down the rocky path ahead of them.

In Kili's arms, Azalea sighed. She wasn't excited for the task that Gandalf had saddled her with, not excited at all. She tipped her head back, forcing her neck to strain and making her look towards Rivendell as they descended. Granted, she was upside down, but that didn't stop her. She really did not want to be where she was. Wished she was back in the Greenwood, helping Radagast figure out what was happening to it.

A long low grown reverberated through Azalea, which shocked the dwarf holding her to a small degree. Seeing that she was okay, Kili chuckled, "We'll be there soon." He assured her.

She lifted up her head to give him a sour look before throwing her head back again, "You can still throw me over the ledge anytime you wish." She said with a wave of her hand, "Take your time."

With a final chuckle from Kili, the rest of the descent was spent in silence. Well, moderate silence. Every now and then someone would say something akin to "filthy elves", earning several sounds of approval and a glare from Gandalf, immediately quieting the ungrateful dwarves. Sooner than many of them would like, they reached their intended destination. They walked across a bridge into a small stone courtyard where Gandalf was greeted.

"Mithrandir!" An elven man greeted the old wizard.

Gandalf turned, "Ahhh! Lindir!"

As the two approached each other, Azalea tried to hide herself to the best of her capabilities. "**We heard you had crossed into the valley**_._" Lindir said in Sindarin to Gandalf.

The wizard did not look to be in the mood for idle conversation, "I must speak with Lord Elrond."

"But Lord Elrond is not here." Lindir responded, glancing off into the distance.

Gandalf looked a little perplexed, "Not here?" He asked, "Where is he?"

Behind them, that odd horn from before echoed through the valley. Each of the dwarves turned their attention to the direction it came from. From the path they themselves came was a small battalion of elven warriors riding their magnificent steeds. The dwarves, being the archaic people they were, started to panic.

"You're all being ridiculous-" Azalea started to say when Thorin yelled for them to close ranks. The company of dwarves was more than willing to oblige their leader. They tightened themselves into a compact circle, sending Bilbo, Kili, and Azalea into the middle, "Honestly," she muttered, "why would they try to kill us?"

All around them, the elves atop their horses circled, curious as to why there were so many dwarves in their presence. Finally, the leader of the battalion deterred from the group to approach an old friend, "Gandalf!" He cried.

"Lord Elrond." Gandalf replied, "**My friend**." He said, switching to the Lord's native tongue, "**Where have you been**?" He asked.

Kili looked to Azalea, "Do you understand them?" He whispered.

She nodded, "Of course."

As Elrond continued to speak, Kili turned to her once again, "What are they saying?" He asked.

"Lord Elrond is explaining to Gandalf that he had been hunting a pack of orcs that had come from the south and that they'd slain several of them near the Hidden Pass." She whispered to Kili as quietly as she could.

Elrond dismounted his horse and approached the old wizard, embracing him briefly, "Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders." He said, approaching Lindir with his sheathed sword in hand, giving it to the man to take elsewhere, "Some thing, or some one, has drawn them near."

The wizard made a sound of understanding, "That may have been us." He explained, looking to the leader of the company as he came forth. Elrond stepped forward to greet him.

"Welcome Thorin, son of Thráin." He said pleasantly.

Thorin did not look comfortable with his situation, "I do not believe we have met." He said much more politely than the others had expected.

Elrond smiled, "You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thrór when he ruled under the mountain."

The dwarf king did not look impressed, "Indeed. Made no mention of you." He said rather snidely.

The lord did not look pleased with the response he got but had probably expected it. Elrond replied with an offer to Thorin and his men in Sindarin, "What is he sayin'?!" Glóin asked in a fiery temperament, "Does he offer us insult?!" He continued, causing the rest of the company to become riled up.

Azalea groaned, "No, he's offering you food." She said, cursing herself for having brought attention upon her.

"Azalea." Elrond said with moderate affection, his eyes connecting with the girls.

She sighed and looked to Kili, "May you put me down?" She asked him. He looked back, clearly unhappy with her request but started to put her down all the same. Carefully, Azalea balanced on her good leg, putting minimal weight on the other, as she approached Elrond. The dwarves around her allowed her to pass, each with a look of sadness or skepticism, "Lord Elrond." She said with a slight bow when she was in front of him.

Elrond reached forward slightly and Azalea raised her hand as well. He grasped her hand gently and brought it to his lips, "Gwannas lû and." He said gently, "Lend and?"

"Thand." She said, "Odulen an din eithad." She continued, motioning to the dwarves behind her, "If I could have these wounds looked at I would be more than happy to continue this conversation later." She said, returning to a language the others would understand.

Elrond looked at her bandaged arm and leg, "But of course!" He exclaimed, "Lindir, please escort Miss Azalea to the healers."

At the notion of Azalea being taken, Kili pushed past Fili in an attempt to follow. Fili managed to grab hold of his brother's wrist and pulled him back, "She is in the care of her own kind." He whispered harshly, "She will be fine, brother!"

Kili shook off his brother's hold. He looked at Azalea as she hobbled away. Deep down he knew that no harm would come to her; he just didn't like the thought of her injured or in any sort of pain, which she clearly was in.

Elrond stepped towards the distraught, young dwarf, "She is in good hands. We will have her in fighting form in no time at all." He said with a reassuring hand to the dwarf's shoulder. To the rest of the company, he said, "Now, let us go to the dining hall. A feast awaits us." Various sounds of approval could be heard amongst the company. As they made their way to follow Lord Elrond, Kili stayed where he stood, watching Azalea. Fili waited with him.

"Brother, there isn't any more you can do. Let us have our fill and then we'll go searching for her." Fili offered his slightly distraught brother.

Hesitantly, Kili nodded, and the two followed behind the rest of the company.

Azalea, on the other hand, was being led carefully into the healing room. All around her, the elves stared. Long ago she had lived in Rivendell and could recognize a few faces. None of which she could place a name to. That is until she spied someone working on an injured warrior in the far corner of the room, "**Thank you, Lindir, I can handle the technicalities myself**." She told her escort.

"**As you wish**." He said with a bow before leaving her to her own devices.

With a sincere look on her face, Azalea limped over to a certain brown haired elf. Only when she was behind her did she whisper, "**Ryvern, what are you doing away from Lady Arwen**?"

Ryvern turned sharply, a brilliant smile shining on her face, "**My dear friend, it has been much too long since we last met**!" She said, wrapping her small friend in a loving embrace. Azalea returned the affection, trying not to make it known that their position was causing severe pain to her leg. Ryvern pulled away, "**What are you doing here? I thought you absolutely **_**loathed**_** this place**." She said with a light laugh. Azalea said nothing, she simply raised her left arm and pointed to her right thigh. The brown haired elf in front of her brought her hand up to her mouth in slight shock, "**My… who did you pick a fight with to receive these**?" She asked.

"**Not a 'who', a 'what'. Got into a bit of an argument with a Warg. I can safely assume it did not like what I had to say**." Azalea said lightheartedly.

Ryvern laughed slightly, "**That is what you have always said, you are going to need to come up with a different excuse soon lest you start to bore me**." She teased the girl with the fiery mane. Azalea couldn't help it, her jaw dropped, causing Ryvern to laugh even more, "**I jest, my dear Azalea**." She said, "**Come over here and I shall tend to your wounds**." She led Azalea to an unused bed. She then went to a cupboard to retrieve a medley of herbs and salves meant for healing, "**You'll be good as new in no time at all**."

Just as Ryvern was finishing bandaging up Azalea, the company of dwarves had sat down to the "feast" the elves had prepared. All around them, elves played beautiful music with their flutes and harps. Upon the table you could find every sort of food you could ever wish for… if you were a rabbit, perhaps. The men, used to eating nothing but mutton, could not find a single thing in front of them they would even try to consume. The music, no matter how majestic and enchanting, went mostly unnoticed by the dwarves.

"Try it." Dori said to an unnerved Ori who was looking disdainfully at a leaf of lettuce, "Just a mouthful!"

Ori shook his head, "I don' like green food."

Dwalin picked up the lettuce from his bowl, "Where's the meat?" He asked.

Óin then speared some white thing on his plate with a fork as Ori asked while looking down the length of the table, "Have they got any chips?"

"Kind of you to invite us." Gandalf said to Lord Elrond as they joined the rest of the wizard's party, "I'm not really dressed for dinner." He said a tad bit sheepishly.

Elrond smiled, "You never are."

They made their way over to their seats, passing by the musicians that were starting to get on Óin's nerves. A flutist got relatively close to him so he stuffed his ear-trumpet with a napkin and placed it back in his ear to find it more than successful. Down at the other end of the table sat Kili and Fili, both grimacing at the food in front of them like the rest of their kin.

"Should they be keeping Azalea this long?" Kili asked his older brother.

Fili lowered him a glance, "You saw her wounds. They want to make sure that she heals properly."

"I know… but she should be here so we know that she is safe!" Kili seethed. Then he was momentarily distracted by one of the elves walking in his line of view. Their eyes connected and she gave a small wave. Kili would not have even noticed her if it wasn't for her hair. Red, like Azalea's.

As she walked towards Elrond, Thorin, and Gandalf, the Lord of Rivendell stood, "You look much better." He said kindly, offering her the seat that was open next to him.

She smiled, "I feel better."

"Azalea!" Ori exclaimed, his eyes settling on her, "You're alright!"

Kili's eyes widened. How could he not have seen it? The eyes and hair were the same but the slightest bit of make-up and the fact that her hair was plated down her back. She wore a typical elven gown, white, embroidered in gold, her amulet and pendant were nestled securely on her chest as they always were, and a crown of vine was placed nicely on her head. Never had she seemed more like an elf than just then, never had she looked more beautiful.

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**Author's Note: Wow. Over 5,000 views! I love you guys! I love all of the attention this is getting, it's more than enough to keep me going. I'm sorry that this took so long to get out, had friends over then I had writer's block. Hopefully there will be some bonding between Kili and Azalea in the next chapter. Thank you all so much for your support! The reviews make me so happy, I can't even tell you! Keep them coming, my friends! Read, enjoy, leave a note of what you thought of it, all that good stuff! Lots of love~ xoxo, Momma Love**

**P.S. Bold meant that they were talking in Sindarin. And the few things that I actually wrote in Sindarin were along the lines of "I haven't seen you in awhile" "did you have a long journey?" and "I'm helping out". If you want the literal translations in the future, review and let me know! I'll be glad to provide!  
**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Seven**

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It was strange. Azalea had not been to Rivendell for an extended period of time in a hundred years. Yet, Elrond spoke with her as if she had never left. He was kind, courteous, sincere, a little bit cold, as the elves always were to her, but, in general, he was pleasant. As he spoke to her, she would nod and add a brief comment every now and then. Though he spoke well enough to her then, it did not right the wrongs in their past that he had committed. It did nothing to repair her wounded spirit.

Several times during their conversation, Azalea could feel eyes practically boring holes into her and could hear the murmurs of the company. She suspected Fili and Kili to be the culprit. As she moved to grab a slice of bread she allowed herself to look at them. Both had neither touched there food or drank their wine and were gazing at her intently. She smiled at them genuinely, in some hopes to ease their troubled minds. They didn't look convinced. Still, they looked away… well, not entirely. The each kept an eye in her general direction and pretended to partake in the feast before them. Azalea paid them no mind. She had enough to worry about without the brothers feeling overprotective.

Beneath the table Azalea gripped the hilt of her sword reflexively. It must have clanged slightly because Elrond took notice to it, "That is not the sword you usually carry, Azalea; I thought you favoured blades made by Man?" He asked, realizing it was of elven make.

"That I do but I was in no place to be ungrateful for such a fine sword." She said, unsheathing her sword ever-so slightly. Even with the small amount of blade exposed you could feel the temperature start to decline.

Elrond looked at the blade in utter amazement, "How did you ever come across Ringil?" He asked, "It had thought to have been long since lost after Fingolfin perished in the duel against Morgoth back in the First Age."

Azalea shrugged, "We came across an interesting horde." Was her cryptic reply with a coy smile on her lips as she gestured across the table to Thorin.

The dwarf king looked less than pleased to have the attention of Lord Elrond. Reluctantly, though, Thorin's hand went to his waist. He removed the scabbard he had retrieved from the troll horde and handed it to the elf. Upon unsheathing it, Elrond smiled, "This is Ocrist, the Goblin Cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West." He placed the sword back in its sheath, "My king, may it serve you well." Elrond said sincerely as he returned the blade. Thorin nodded haphazardly. Next, he held Gandalf's sword, "And this is Glamdring," He unsheathed it, "the Foe-Hammer, the sword of the King of Gondolin, brother to Ocrist… did either of you know this? Of your blades?"

After taking a second to sift through his thoughts Gandalf replied. "No, I should say not."

Elrond looked moderately confused, "Azalea did not tell you this herself?" He asked. The three looked suspiciously at Azalea, to which she shrugged, "I am surprised. She was a fine storyteller when she lived here. She told stories of the great battles on Middle-Earth to the children, more specifically she told stories of the great warriors and the weapons they wield." He informed the wizard and dwarf as if speaking of his own daughter. Full of pride. Still, he pressed on, handing Gandalf back his sword, "How did you come by these?"

"We found them in a troll horde on the Great East Road!" Gandalf exclaimed, receiving a glare from the dwarf king as if telling him to keep his trap shut, "Shortly before we were ambushed by orcs! We would not have even made it to the Hidden Pass had it not been for Azalea."

The elf looked to his kin in admiration, "Would you now?"

Azalea tried not to roll her eyes. She knew where this conversation was heading. South. And fast, "I just served as a distraction, nothing more."

"And that is how you received those wounds?" Elrond asked, pointing to the bandages.

She nodded briskly, "Yes."

He smiled, "They weren't as bad as the ones you received in the skirmish with the Mirkwood elves, were they?"

Unconsciously, Azalea dug her nails into her already wounded thigh. She knew that he would mention it but how dare he bring up the incident with such ease? How dare he smile while asking her about the time that the elves of Rivendell led one of their own to slaughter? In fear of lashing out and physically striking Lord Elrond, she buried the vehemence she felt and smiled up at the man, "No, they were not. Thanks to Gandalf we managed to find relative safety during our altercation with the orcs."

"Well that's good to hear." Elrond said, completely ignorant to Azalea's brief flash of anger.

Gandalf nodded, "Very good indeed." He concurred and reached for his glass of wine. As he did, he glanced down towards Azalea's hands, her nails still digging into her thighs and, consequently, reopening the wounds, "My dear," He whispered, "you may wish to head down to the healing ward again."

Confused, Azalea stopped assaulting her legs only to realize that the crimson of her blood was soaking through her gown. She cursed silently to herself in Quenya and made an effort to stand, "I'm sorry to leave you, but my wounds seem to have reopened. I will speak with you later, Lord Elrond." She said kindly, starting to make her way behind Elrond's chair when he grasped her hand gently and placed his lips lightly against her delicate skin.

"No vain in gwaew gîn." He said kindly, implying that they probably would not have a chance to speak before their departure.

"Cuio vé, galu." Azalea replied with a slight bow before walking away from the Lord. She started to come close to Bilbo; she placed a loving hand on his shoulder as she passed. Then she approached the brothers. She bent down and kissed them both swiftly on the cheek, "Thank you for worrying about me, ask around for Ryvern, she'll know where I will be." She whispered ever-so quietly.

After watching her limp away, Fili turned to his brother, "Did you see what I saw?"

Kili looked back, clearly confused, "No, what did you see?"

Fili nodded towards Elrond, "When he brought up the 'skirmish with the Mirkwood elves', her eyes near well ignited from anger." He said.

The look on Kili's face shifted between understanding and confusion, "Doesn't she hail_from_ Mirkwood? Or at least her ancestors do, right?" He asked, trying to clarify a few key points to Azalea's past.

"Aye, they do." Fili confirmed, "But whatever happened, Elrond seems to be ignorant to it."

Kili furrowed his brow, "Or he's feigning his naivety." He countered.

"That _is_ quite possible; I just don't believe that he would intentionally bring harm onto her. He was never harsh when he spoke to her and seemed completely light-hearted when he brought up the 'incident'. And I do not believe him to be a criminal mastermind." Fili continued, defending the elven lord.

Still, Kili did not look convinced, "If that is true, why does she bare such ill will towards him?" He asked.

Fili nodded, "A good point. Perhaps if we ask she will tell us herself."

Kili let out an odd laugh, "You know her as well as I, brother, she clings to her mysterious air with an iron grip." He rationalized, reaching for his wine and taking a nice long swig from it. He made a sound of disgust, "These elves make their wine a bit too sweet for my taste."

Fili rolled his eyes, "Worry about the taste of your drink later. I say we go find Azalea."

At that, Kili nodded, "Agreed." They both excused themselves and began their search.

Little did they know that finding her would prove to be a near impossible task. The only elves they seemed to be running into were servants, servants inept in any language except Sindarin, making it very difficult to locate Azalea or her friend Ryvern. They were close to giving up when they ran in Ryvern herself outside of the healing ward. Night had long since fallen, meaning that Azalea was more than likely long gone from the place.

"May I be of assistance?" Ryvern asked the two as they murmured to themselves.

They both jumped slightly in surprise, "Err, yes, we are searching for Ryvern." Fili said boldly.

She chuckled, "You've found her, sons of Durin, what can I do for you?"

Kili smiled at their progress, "Azalea told us to find you if we wanted to find her."

"Ah, you must be Fili and Kili, then, she said you were handsome…" She muttered quietly, "Azalea is relaxing by the steam baths. The steam helps to speed up the healing process." She said with an odd glance in Fili's direction, "She should still be there if you wish to see her now."

Kili looked to his brother for his opinion but he was too busy returning Ryvern's look. Upon realizing that Kili was staring at him, he shook his head and clasped his brothers shoulder, "I think you can handle this, little brother, I'm going to stay and converse with Ryvern some more. That is, if she'll have me." He asked the brunette elf in front of them.

"I see no reason why she shouldn't." She returned.

And, with that, Kili left the two alone as he headed towards the baths. Not that he had any clue where they actually were or where he was. He cursed silently to himself for not asking Ryvern where the hell the baths were. Being the stubborn young dwarf that he was he did not allow himself to turn back. He simply trudged on, grumbling incessantly to himself.

It took him an hour or so to find his way through the city, only stopping thrice to ask for directions. If Azalea was not there he was going to be thoroughly frustrated to the point where he might start ripping out his hair. Carefully, he pushed a rock, seemingly serving as a door, to the side and out of the way. When Ryvern had said "bath" it did not occur to Kili that it was a true natural hot spring that had formed in the mountain. A waterfall of steaming hot water poured down into several different pockets of rock, providing a pure untainted source of water for bathing. He would have appreciated it more if Azalea was anywhere to be seen.

Clearly frustrated, Kili clenched his teeth together and placed his fists at his head to prevent an angry roar from bursting forth. He slowly placed himself against a wall of stone and took out a piece of wood from his pack and began whittling away at it. Whittling always calmed his nerves and distracted him. Not that he was all that talented with it.

He was so concentrated on the wood in his hand he was truly shocked when someone burst from the water. It was Azalea, bare as a new born babe. Her eyes connected with his startled eyes briefly before crouching down and shrieking, "AI!" She crossed her arms across her chest in an attempt to cover herself, "Ego, Pe-channas!" She yelled in Sindarin, motioning for him to leave.

Kili's head told him to go but his feet simply forced him to turn around, "I'm sorry, I did not know you were here!" He explained, "Ryvern said you were relaxing by the waters, not partaking in them!" He continued.

"I know that is a lie, I told Ryvern that if you were to find her to tell you to wait in my quarters while I bathed… damn…" She started to yell then reduced her voice to a whisper, "I think that we're both victims to one of Ryvern's schemes." She deduced. Kili almost turned around when, "Ai!" Azalea shrieked again, reminding him of her bare state.

He winced, "Sorry." He muttered, "But what do you mean?"

"I mean, Ryvern sent you here knowing full well that I would be as bare as I was when I entered this world." She sighed, placing herself so she was chest deep in the water with her elbows propped on the edge, "You can turn around now, I'm decent enough."

The man in him told him to turn, the gentlemen in him adamantly removed, "A lady should not be seen in such a manner." He said, ignoring the fierce blush colouring his face.

Azalea chuckled, "True enough. I'll just keep conversing with your back, then."

Kili nodded, his mind returning to the conversation at hand, "Why would Ryvern intentionally do such a thing? Leading me to you if she was certain you weren't in any state to be receiving company?" He asked, making his way to a sitting position on the rocky ground. He fidgeted a bit, not able to find a comfortable spot on the jagged edges of stone.

A noise of thought escaped Azalea, "She has a habit of trying to pair me off with every eligible man that crosses into the Valley of Imladris. Once I made mention of you and your brother both being fairly attractive, that would have been enough for her to formulate a plan such as this." She said, motioning her hand in a circle around her. Not that Kili could tell.

"She does this often?" Kili asked just as an odd feeling started to weigh down his stomach.

"She does it every time we're both in Rivendell." She confirmed.

Kili nodded, "Ah…" He then took a moment to think, "Wait… you think me attractive?"

Azalea picked up a medium sized rock and threw it at the dwarf's back, "It's none of your concern how I think of your appearance when I'm in a state such as this!"

"Alright, alright." Kili laughed once the rock hit his back. Not that he felt it through his many layers. The two were then greeted by a chilling silence. Kili knew that he should've left, but his feet still would not receive the messages they were being sent. That's when what Fili had told him came to the forefront of his mind, "What exactly happened with the Mirkwood Elves?" He asked, bluntly.

Azalea's hyperaware ears perked up, "What makes you think something happened?"

"Fili said your eyes were practically ablaze with anger at the mention of it. If it had been a simple battle then I do not think it would have upset you so." He said if not the slightest bit sheepish.

"Well, you're wrong." She sighed, "Nothing happened."

Again there was silence. This one was not as thick with tension as the first. But there was something almost dangling in the air that Azalea was refusing to acknowledge. And if she's learned anything in her travels, problems don't simply just go away if left ignored. She let out an exasperated sigh, "It wasn't the Mirkwood Elves." She muttered.

"What?" Kili asked, turning around to see a very morose Azalea leaning her head against her crossed arms.

She looked up at him, "When Lord Elrond tells you of the 'skirmish with Mirkwood' he knows not of what he speaks. He believes the lies that my comrades from that day had told him. The people who attacked me and left me for dead were not elves that hailed from Mirkwood, they were elves of Rivendell." She explained, a pained expression painted on her face, "I was sent with a troupe of five elves to convene with Thranduil in Mirkwood. These were men I trusted, Kili." She said in utter sorrow, "I was not the greatest warrior, but I held my own and the men felt threatened by that. That, in some instances, a woman, not even a pure elven woman, could outmatch them.

"So, in the midst of our mission they planned to do away with me. They waited until we were close enough to Mirkwood so they could lay blame to them. They hadn't accounted for my connection to the Greenwood when they left me bloody and helpless there." Azalea continued with an anger starting to boil inside of her.

"They tried to kill you because you were better with a blade then they were?" Kili asked, to clarify.

"That was the motivation." She sighed, "Then they factored in that I was not their kin and that I had wrongfully ended a courtship with one of them along with the fact that I was practically a dwarf in their eyes. It was enough cause for three of them to run me through." She said, her fingers moving beneath the water's surface to graze the puckered scars across her abdomen, "Had Radagast not found me… I don't know what the earth would've made of my slowly dying corpse."

Kili took a step towards her, "I thought you said that the Greenwood keeps you alive?"

Azalea paused a moment to word what she was about to say correctly, "When I'm beneath the canopy of the trees I am underneath the protection of the forest itself. It was mere coincidence that they chose to do away with me there. Had I been in Rivendell or Mirkwood itself, I would have been but a memory only moments after the third blade cut me. I was there for about an hour when Radagast felt something amiss and approached me." She let out a small laugh, "He had not had contact with the outside world for quite some time. The sight of an elf in his Sanctuary near well caused him to die of fright."

In front of her, Kili frowned deeply, "I'm sorry that your brothers in arms betrayed you so." He said in the most sincere voice Azalea had heard in quite some time, "Did you tell Lord Elrond when you returned?"

She nodded, "I was practically yelling myself hoarse trying to get it through his thick skull that some of his men were rats in an elf's skin. But, they had gotten there first and had successfully spun their intricate web of lies all around their kin." She bit back a curse that was threatening to be heard, "I left soon after that. Unable to be amongst people I could not trust, especially people I would be around nearly every day, each with a sword in hand."

"That's perfectly understandable." Kili agreed.

She smiled up at him, "Thank you." She said. Then her smile turned back into a frown, "I've spoken to a few of them. The few that are still alive… they don't even feel sorry for what they did." She smacked the side of her fist against the rock of the spring, "I understand that I am not what you call a 'common occurrence' in Middle-Earth, but do I really deserve to be treated as such?" She asked, her eyes lighting up as they usually did when she was angered.

Kili shook his head, "Of course not. I find it appalling that my uncle dare speak of you as one of the elves that betrayed him ever so long ago. You have proven time after time that you're a worthy asset to the company, that you're worthy of our trust and our admiration." He said with sheer and utter kindness.

Azalea ducked her head down so as not to alert Kili to the blush threatening her cheeks, "Thank you." She murmured, "Now, how about you leave so I can properly dress myself?" She said, motioning across the waters to a pile of clothing he had not seen before.

He nodded, "Right, of course." He then gave a small bow and exited the springs from whence he came, leaving Azalea to finish her bath.

Skeptically she looked at her injured arm to find it mostly healed. Quietly she thanked the Father of All for her fast recovery. Her fingers then probed the puncture wounds on her leg. They were healing nicely but there was a slight chance that they would scar. Thanks to the elven methods of healing Azalea has far less scars than she should. There were scars all over her hands from the failed attempts at climbing that usually led to falling, even scars on the bottom of her feet. Her feet were tougher than the average elf, but did not match that of a hobbit. Still, after everything that has happened to her, she was grateful for her unique heritage.

Not counting the scars to her hands and feet, Azalea had six. Four from the swords of the men she trusted, three entry and one exit wound, a scar from when a poisoned arrow pierced her just beneath her left shoulder blade, and a long scar from a blade coming down on her back that spanned from just below her right shoulder all the way to her left hip. She was always happy with her scars. Though it distorted her beauty, it told a story to those who happened to glance upon them. Azalea of the Greenwood Forest isn't afraid to protect those she loves, isn't afraid to throw herself into the heat of battle; it says that she gives a damn. And she truly does. With that last thought rolling around in her head, she exited the bath, a new fire igniting inside of her. Thorin Oakenshield was going to trust her if it was the last thing she did. That, she swore.

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**Author's Note: We're at over 8,000 views people! I'm so excited! Not gonna lie! Thank you all for the fabulous reviews! Thank you angelrider13 for inadvertently giving me something to put together for this chapter! Much obliged! Thanks to everyone who likes how Azalea is developing, I'm trying to keep her from mutating into a Sue. Also I want to mention a guest reviewer who had an idea to name one of her characters Azalea, it's a great name. :) I hope you enjoyed the excessive amounts of fluff and an insight into why Azalea bears ill-will towards Rivendell, reviews are loved and encouraged! Ta~, xoxo, Momma Love**

**Edit: GAH. I forgot the translations. When Elrond and Azalea are parting, Elrond pretty much said a prayer for her and Azalea bid him farewell and blessed him as well (not literally as in a pastor blessing or whatever, I'm not religious, Azalea is). Then when Kili spooked her in the bath she pretty much just called him an idiot and told him to get out.  
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**EDIT2: Just mentioning again that if you want me to keep doing the rough translations or if you want literal then speak up! I'll be more than happy to provide (FYI, Azalea is fluent in Sindarin and Westron and knows a bit of Quenya)! TA.  
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	8. Chapter Eight

**Heart of Gold**

**Chapter Eight**

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Later that night, long after Kili's encounter with Azalea, the company gathered on a balcony overlooking the waterfall to fill their bellies with food fit for dwarves. Bifur and Bofur had started a fire by using the elves wooden furniture. Bofur was roasting a sausage when he thought he heard something creaking. He looked up to his brother Bombar who was sitting on a stool that was fighting to hold his weight, stuffing his gob.

"Bombar!" Bofur called, tossing the sausage in his direction. The large red headed dwarf caught it with ease. His usually jolly face suddenly turned to shock, to realization, when he became aware to the creaking sound as well. When the stool finally gave way it sent him to the ground and the men around him into raucous laughter.

Behind Bofur and Bifur were Fili and Kili. They each sat with their pipes in hand, chortling quietly to themselves. It was only a few minutes prior that they found each other after Kili's run in at the baths with Azalea. He stopped by Ryvern's room but Fili wasn't there. Eventually, Kili would run into him unexpectedly just around the corner from her room. With an unusual amount of bashfulness the dwarf scratched the back of his head and insisted that they reconvene with their kin. Kili wished to ask where his brother had been but thought better of it. He thought it more pertinent to tell him what he had learned from Azalea.

They ventured away from the others and Kili told Azalea's tale. He watched Fili's face turn from curiosity, shock, sadness, and finally, to anger. The same emotions running rampant through Kili. He watched as his brother dugs his nails into his leg. Probably deterring him from tracking down the bastards who betrayed their friend and slaughtering them all in their sleep.

"Be at ease, brother." Kili said quietly with a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Fili exhaled a shaky breath, his blue eyes glared at Kili angrily, "It's unspeakable, what they did to Azalea. Why do they deserve to take breath whilst she tiptoes around her own people in fear?!" He hissed through clenched teeth.

The younger dwarf shook his head, "It is unjust, that much we know for certain. But we can only stand by her side in her hour of need. Nothing more."

Fili scoffed and took a swig from his pint of ale. They then sat in silence as they watched the rest of the company be merry, both seething in a silent anger. It wasn't simply unjust, it was completely unfair. Azalea was a kind-hearted, sharp-tongued, more than capable enough, warrior that had proved herself in battle as well as in friendship. She did not deserve the hatred and prejudice from her kin, or even the dwarves.

Several of the dwarves had taken a liking to the elven hobbit, Bofur, Nori, Bifur, Bombar, Ori, and the young brothers were not hesitant to express gratitude and friendship. It was the older of their kin that still wished to keep her at bay. Old grudges were hard to snuff out, especially amongst a group of stubborn dwarves. Thorin was the only one that portrayed outright hatred, as subtle as it was. But even he had to admit she had her merits.

Across the balcony, settled high up the rocky cliff, sat Azalea. She chose isolation, despite the cold stone beneath her, even when there was a raucous group of dwarves nestled cozily around a warm fire. It had been too long since she simply sat back and looked at the stars, something she truly missed and something that was hard to do surrounded by the company. As she watched them, perfectly gay and merry with their own, she smiled. It was nice to see such comradery.

Her aquamarine eyes glanced over each of the dwarves, finally settling on young Ori who was looking back at her with youthful bliss. He motioned for her to join. She was flattered but decided to decline. He wasn't giving up on her that easy. His incessant arm movements caught the attention of the others. Soon the rest of the company was curiously looking to the Cliffside. Looks like she had been spotted.

"Too good fer us now?" Bofur yelled in jest towards her. She shook her head, "Then come join us fer a drink!" She chuckled quietly to herself and started to maneuver along the shallow rocks. Perhaps joining them wasn't an awful idea, "That's the spirit!" Bofur laughed.

She couldn't help but smile. Bofur had a real way of making one feel at ease. From his flute playing to his laidback attitude, you couldn't help but feel at home. Once she was along the balcony she sat and slid the rest of the way down. As she came to a halt, Kili approached, offering his hand like a true gentleman, "Thank you." She said, taking his hand and stepping over the small wall that prevented one from falling to their death.

"'Twas my pleasure." He said with a slight bow. The two unconsciously did not remove their hands as they made their way towards the others.

"Nice of you ta join us, Miss Azalea." Bofur said kindly, offering a nicely cooked sausage her way. She went to grab it when she still felt Kili's hand in hers. Azalea blushed slightly and carefully untangled them, "Careful, 'tis mighty hot." He warned as she reached for it a second time. As her fingertips grazed it she yelped. A couple of the dwarves laughed, "I warned ya!"

Azalea glared a bit at them before yanking the sausage out of Bofur's hands and scarfing it down. Granted, it was hot, but she forced it down anyway. Determined to be stubborn. Next to her, Ori watched intently, waiting for her to show some sign of distress or pain. She tried to remain strong but eventually the heat would prove to be too much for the small woman. She started fanning her overly heated mouth; tears wet the corner of her eyes. The dwarves laughed when she yanked Ori's ale from his hands and drank it all in a single draft.

After the heat had subsided, Azalea laughed dryly, "Yes, I'm the company jester." She said in a tone that was even drier than her laugh.

"Oh, we mean nothin' by it, lass." Bofur said with cheer.

The girl smiled wickedly at the dwarf, "Do you now?" A few members of the company weren't quite sure how to react. They knew of Azalea's playful antics and sharp tongue and knew that her actions were difficult to predict.

She jumped to her feet suddenly and began pilfering through Bofur's pack. The owner didn't object in any way as he was curious as to what she was trying to find. He watched her until she retrieved a wooden flute. She continued to smile as she threw the instrument his way. He caught it with an equally wicked expression on his scruffy mug.

"'Tis a grand idea." He said, casting a wink in her direction.

And, with that, music filled the air. Bofur expertly moved his fingers over the keys, allowing a traditional dwarfish drinking song to surround them. Soon, Azalea was dancing. She wasn't the best dancer, her grace somewhat hindered by her Hobbit blood, but she didn't mind. She twirled and kicked around the fire as if it was that last thing she'd ever do.

Around her, the dwarves joined in. Ori pulled out a lambskin drum and began tapping away at it while Nori played along on his fiddle. The company was not a dancing sort, but they enjoyed the music and were soon swaying to the rhythm Bofur had provided. It warmed Azalea's already blazing heart to see the dwarves in such high spirits.

Then, on a whim, she grabbed hold of Kili's wrist and pulled him towards the merriment, "Oh, no, I do not dance." He warned her.

"But you will!" She teased, lacing her fingers with his and forcing him to dance. Well, she forced his upper body to dance. His legs and their owner remained stubborn. He refused to have anything to do with dancing.

Azalea frowned at him, "Come on, Kili, you will enjoy yourself, I'm sure!"

Kili shook his head. Still not giving in to her requests. She looked into his eyes in hopes that she could persuade him to join her. He did not look as if he were to budge any time soon. So, Azalea sighed and let him be.

But she was soon joined by none other than Fili, "My brother has forgotten how to have fun, not I!" He laughed, taking Azalea's hand and leading her towards the fire.

Soon Fili was showing the Elven-Hobbit several steps that would be performed during a banquet following a victorious battle, the union of man and wife, or the birth of a child. There was plenty of harsh footwork and clapping of their hands. After a few minutes of tutoring, Azalea finally was able to do the moves on her own. Several times during the dance, they found themselves tripping over each other.

Truth be told, neither were very good dancers. Fili was stocky and could not move as fast as Azalea while she had a hard time remaining on her feet. Several times the young dwarf found himself reaching out a hand for her to hold on to so as not to send her crashing to the ground. They two did not care for being talented. They simply wished for a good time.

And a good time they had, twirling around each other less than elegantly. Sitting and watching them carefully was Kili. He, admittedly, was jealous to see Azalea so gay with anyone other than himself. Not that he made any effort to join her. He remained as he was, leaning against a pillar and grumbling to himself. Next to him, Bifur appeared. Bifur rarely contributed much to any conversation but he tried.

"Hrnn, ha!" He exclaimed, pointing to Azalea.

Kili shook his head, "It is not my place."

Bifur glared fiercely at the young dwarf, "Hrrnnnn, _HA!_" He near well shouted. Again, Kili shook his head. Clearly unhappy with the boy's responses he grabbed the boys arm to yank him away from the pillar then shoved him in Azalea's direction. The clumsy dwarf tripped over his large feet, forcing him in between his brother and the attractive Elven-Hobbit.

"That's the spirit, brother!" Fili laughed, shoving the boy so he was even closer to the girl.

Kili didn't know how to act. He truly did not know how to dance. Lucky for him, Azalea hadn't much of a clue either. Without a word, she grasped his hand and twirled herself underneath his arm.

She smiled up at him, "There is no reason to be so frightful." She said quietly as she gazed into his brown eyes in an attempt to soothe him.

His chest rose and fell with laboured breath. But he nodded. And, soon, the two were dancing around the balcony. Kili put his well-being in her hands and followed her lead. Of course they stumbled and faltered a bit; Kili didn't care. He was enjoying himself. Even if he was simply enjoying watching her smile with such brilliance as her hair twirled around her. At times he had a hard time distinguishing her from the fire his kin was circled around. Not that he minded.

They continued to dance until they both became irrevocably dizzy. Azalea stopped them, her hand using Kili's arm for balance, "I think it best that we stop." She laughed, slightly out of breath. He placed his hand on top of hers and led her towards the edge of the balcony.

"That was… interesting." He said, looking back to the company to see Bifur doing some odd dance… if one could call it that. He chuckled momentarily to himself before returning his attention to the chortling girl in front of him, "Are you well?" Kili asked. He closed the distance between them and placed his palm against her forehead. She felt fine.

She laughed, "I am perfectly well. It's just I haven't known such fun in quite some time."

Kili smiled, "Nor have I."

"Then it's good that Bifur sent you my way, is it not?" She teased with one of her wicked smiles, he laughed, "Melin tirië hendutya sílalë yá lalat."

The young dwarf looked at her skeptically, "Pardon?"

"I was speaking in Quenya. I said, 'your eyes shine when you laugh'."

He looked slightly appalled, "They do not!"

Azalea chuckled, "But they do, you stubborn dwarf!"

Kili scoffed, "Says the stubborn Elven-Hobbit!"

"Of course!" She smiled, not denying the statement in the slightest.

"Oi! If you two are done flirtin', we'd all like to go to sleep!" Dwalin bellowed angrily from his make-shift bed. The two turned to see the dwarves packing away their belongings. Bofur still played a quiet tune on his flute to lull the others to sleep. Guess they weren't too keen on dancing.

The two hushed their voices, "Say something else in Quenya." He said. He liked the way the language sounded rolling off her tongue.

"Alright, qui merityes." She said with a playful smile.

Kili couldn't help but return the smile, "And that means?"

"'If you desire it'."

"I see." He exclaimed quietly, "Do more, if you will."

And more she did. She spent hours rambling off phrases in Quenya and Sindarin to please the curious dwarf. They laughed, they joked, and they nearly woke up the company several times. But, they were at ease. And they were happy. Eventually, Kili led Azalea to Ryvern's room for her to rest. Azalea thanked him for the dance and bid him farewell. Instead of telling her friend of her night, Azalea threw herself onto her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: Guys, I'm sorry this is so late! Ugh! Writer's block is a b*tch! And sorry that the ending of this goes by so fast. I needed to get past this scene so I could get back on track with the movie. But! Nearly 14,000 views! Thank you guys! Hope you enjoy, even though it sucks, and I hope you read and review! xoxo, Momma Love**


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